JK Rowling breaks silence following Imane Khelif's lawsuit as she doubles down on stance
JK Rowling broke her silence after being named in boxer Imane Khelif's lawsuit
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JK Rowling has tweeted for the first time since being named in a legal complaint by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif due to online harassment faced during the 2024 Olympics.
The author hadn't posted anything on X since earlier this month, but on Friday quoted an article backing her stance.
Quoting Colin Wright, she penned: "It’s important to highlight that launching a PR campaign and applying layers of thick makeup requires far more time and effort than simply making DNA test results public."
Rowling, 59, initially went silent following the claims. On her most recent social media post before she addressed it, she posted on the platform nine times.
Her posts from August 7 included one that seemingly referred to the gender debate surrounding Khelif, 25.
Khelif's participation in the games was the subject of global debate due to the fact she was banned from the world championships helmed by the IBA (International Boxing Association) last year for failing a gender eligibility test.
"It’s important to highlight that launching a PR campaign and applying layers of thick makeup requires far more time and effort than simply making DNA test results public." -- ✍️@SwipeWright https://t.co/mRECJgNX3X
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 23, 2024
The Russian-backed boxing body refused to allow Khelif and Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-ting to compete last year after claiming to find the XY chromosome in their tests - the strand typically found in males.
The IOC's eligibility tests aren't the same as the IBA's and as the organisation is overseeing the boxing at the Paris Games, both boxers have been allowed to compete.
Rowling took to social media earlier this month to hit back at critics who have accused her of being motivated by "transphobia" in her critique of Khelif.
She penned: "Commentators pretending critics of the IOC’s reliance on documents rather than sex testing think Khelif is trans are straw-manning.
Khelif's participation in the Olympic Games was the subject of global debate
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"I don’t claim Khelif is trans. My objection, and that of many others, is to male violence against women becoming an Olympic sport."
Rowling followed up her clarification with a second post, once again hitting back at her critics: "For the record, bombarding me with pictures of athletic women to ‘teach’ me that women don’t all look like Barbie is like spamming me with pics of differently-shaped potatoes to prove rocks are edible.
"I can still see the difference and you look frankly bonkers." Khelif allegedly failed a gender test at an International Boxing Association competition in 2023, and went on to win the gold medal in the 66kg boxing division.
On the day of her win against Carini, Rowling posted: "The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be 'trans' is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female."
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JK Rowling posted several tweets about her take on Khelif's involvement in the Olympic Games
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However, the writer took a hiatus from social media after the Algerian boxer filed a criminal complaint to the French authorities on August 13.
She claimed "acts of aggravated cyber harassment," with her lawyer stating both Rowling and Elon Musk would be named in the lawsuit.
His article also stated: "At some point, you can no longer pretend to be a victim. That point has been reached."
The Harry Potter author's stance on the transgender discussion has been making headlines for years, with the 58-year-old facing constant backlash amid claims she is being "transphobic".
Despite her passionate views on gender identity, Rowling has strongly denied accusations of transphobia.