Controversy at the Olympic Games with boxer Imane Khelif: the differences between cisgender and transgender

This Thursday, August 1st, a controversy was generated after the Italian Angela Carini decided to abandon the women’s boxing match, when she had barely been fighting for 45 seconds, against the Algerian Imane Khelif.

It all started after Carini claimed that “it was not fair” to fight against Khelif, who had not passed the gender testing in 2023.

It should be noted that 24-year-old Imane Khelif, like South African Caster Semenya, have had the same problem in the competitions they face.

What is the difference between cisgender and transgender?

The Algerian boxer, a few months ago, stated that, since birth, had high levels of testosterone.

Justifying that my qualifications are greater than the qualifications of the rest of the women

This has brought with it ruthless actions such as taunts and comments that have made his place in the sport of boxing increasingly difficult to continue and maintain.

“I was often bullied for my appearance, but I resisted and continued to fight despite everything.”Imane Khelif told the Algerian media Koora.

“I participated in many tournaments and there were no problems, but When my chances of winning the gold medal became high, they came and prevented it; justifying it by saying that my qualifications are greater than those of the other women,” the boxer continued.

We invite you to find out what the difference between cisgender and transgender.

What is cisgender?

According to the booklet ‘Ask the Expert: Rights of People with Trans Life Experience’, from the Ministry of Justice of Colombia, cisgender “is the term used to refer to “referring to a person whose gender identity matches the sex assigned to them at birth.”

Similarly, cisgender “is the term that is used today, replacing the expression ‘biological men / biological women’ or natural, since It is understood that all people are biological“, the booklet states.

What is transgender?

Like cisgender, transgender is a gender identity; however, unlike the former, the latter is the the way in which people identify with a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth.

Why is it important to perform gender verification tests?

According to an article published in the Journal of the University of Costa Rica, gender tests are intended to determine the Sex of athletes planning to compete.

In fact, this type of testing was first introduced in the 1960s, when chromosome testing began to be performed.

These tests serve to define genetics, “preventing a man from participating as a woman or vice versa, taking into account that women almost always looked like men and there was a suspicion that it could actually be a man,” according to the article.

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