Jesse Watters Labels Algerian Intersex Boxer ‘Genetic Male’ In Rant Over Olympics Gender Row
Fox host Jesse Watters leaned in on the false claim that Olympic Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was a “genetic male” and repeatedly used male pronouns for her as he slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), claiming the organization was going to “hang a gold medal around this guy’s neck for punching women in the face.”
The controversy around Khelif came after her recent Olympic match against Italy’s Angela Carini, leading Carini to abandon the fight after just 46 seconds. The manner of Carini’s defeat has sparked widespread concern and anger, with gender critical public figures like author J.K. Rowling and billionaire Elon Musk voicing their criticism on Wednesday.
Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting both previously failed gender eligibility tests and were disqualified last year by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after they were said to not meet its eligibility criteria, which restrict athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events. The methodologies and standards of the tests remained undisclosed.
Business Insider provided an explanation of Khelif’s intersex situation:
Khelif’s biological profile presents a nuanced situation. Born female and identifying as a woman, she has a condition known as differences of sex development (DSD). This condition results in her having XY chromosomes and higher testosterone levels — traits typically associated with male athletes. These elevated testosterone levels are what led to her failing a gender eligibility test and getting disqualified at the 2023 World Boxing Championships.
On July 31, the IBA sought to clarify its 2023 decision, stating that Khelif and others “did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a different, recognized test, the specifics of which remain confidential” and that they “were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
In the intervening time, after the IOC revoked the IBA’s recognition last year due to governance and financial concerns, the Olympic committee took over the organization of the boxing competition in Paris and decided to allow both athletes to compete.
Khelif, whose home nation bans gender transition, has always identified as a cisgender woman, although despite not having seen the IBA’s test results endocrinologist Gianluca Aimaretti surmised that the boxer may have “a congenital disease that caused a disorder of sexual differentiation.”
Despite these past disqualifications, the IOC has defended its decision in a statement late Wednesday amid the backlash, citing the IBA’s lack of due process and blasting the “unethical targeting” and “baseless propaganda” against Khelif.
Unconvinced by the statement, Watters went off on the IOC during Thursday morning’s show Jesse Watters Primetime.
Kalief is genetically male… The Italian woman quit the fight after taking those shots, then fell to her knees and cried. She said Kalief threw harder punches than she’s ever felt before. Makes sense, men have 162 more punching power, percentage, on average, than women. But how did a boxer with male DNA compete against a woman in the olympics…
Kalief, they say, has identified as a woman his whole life. They say there’s no indication Kalief is trans, but last year Kalief was [disqualified] from competing in a different boxing championship after testing positive for high testosterone and the male chromosome XY.
The Olympics says that’s okay. So the Olympics thinks it’s fair for a genetic male to punch a woman so hard in the face she quits and cries as long as it says cis-female on her passport. And they’re going to let this guy keep beating up women in Paris and they’re just going to hand him a gold medal for it?
Watters then pivoted to use the controversy to attack Democratic presumptive nominee Kamala Harris.
Next summer the Olympics [are] in L.A. in California, Kamala’s home state. Are they going to allow that? Because today the new Biden-Harris Title Nine rules went into effect, allowing men to change in girls locker rooms, and take scholarships meant for girls. And if you call somebody by the wrong pronoun, it can be a hate crime. Women’s sports are being wecked. Girls are in physical danger, and Kamala needs to answer for this because those are her policies.
The host then introduced guest Riley Gaines, OutKick host and a former competitive swimmer who has campaigned against the participation of trans women in women’s sports. Watters predicted that “a woman is going to die at some point” and added: “That’s what’s going to happen. Someone is going to die.”
Gaines agreed and commented: “Unfortunately, Jesse, that’s what it’s going to take for these weak-kneed, spineless, morally bankrupt cowards at the IOC, our elected leaders of the Democratic Party, the same leaders at the NCAA, that’s what it’s going to take ultimately for them to see the harm, see the severity, see the trajectory of where we’re going and change their policy.”
She added: “And even then, if this isn’t a line we draw in the sand, I don’t even know if a woman being fatally injured, if that’s the line we draw in the sand, it’s tragic that this is the reality. South Park predicted this. I predicted this, honestly. I could have told you this… You shouldn’t be surprised by this. This is what we should be expecting.”
Watters replied: “So they’re going to hang a gold medal around this guy’s neck for punching women in the face in the middle of Paris with all the music playing.”
Watch on Fox News.
