Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) announced on social media that her fundraiser for a woman who Boebert claimed was the victim of trans people has been ended and that all contributions would be returned to donors since not even the supposed victim would accept the money.
Boebert was raising money for Angela Carini, the Italian boxer who forfeited to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif at this summer’s Paris Olympic games. Many on the right decided that Khelif was a trans woman – despite the evidence that she wasn’t – and then said that Carini was the victim of gender-based violence.
Related:
Donald Trump bullies boxer Imane Khelif as she begs the world to stop
Transphobes have been falsely saying that she was assigned male at birth and Trump joined in.
“A person with XY chromosomes was allowed to compete against actual, biological women in the Olympics,” Boebert wrote in a post on X yesterday, still holding on to the rumor that Khelif has XY chromosomes even though there is no evidence of that. “Americans were rightly outraged, and gave generously to my GiveSendGo fund for Angela Carini, one of the women who was beaten up in the ring and that had to stop her match to avoid being seriously injured.”
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Despite being at the center of the controversy and portrayed as a victim by people on the right who were convinced that Algeria had secretly entered a trans woman in the Olympics, Carini has actually said that she does not hold a grudge against Khelif and even apologized to her for the online bullying she instigated.
So perhaps it was not surprising that Carini’s coach would refuse Boebert’s money.
“After my team heard from Angela’s coach, we were informed that she didn’t want to continue with what has been a difficult chapter in her life,” Boebert wrote. “While she appreciated the support by so many, she decided not to accept the funds.”
“GiveSendGo refunded the contributions late last week as a result.”
Khelif has filed a legal complaint in France for cyberbullying, citing attacks from anti-trans writer J.K. Rowling, anti-trans CEO Elon Musk, and anti-trans candidate Donald Trump as inciting a massive amount of hatred towards her.
“You hate me, but you don’t even know me,” she said while tearing up during an interview with the French TV channel CLIQUE. “I don’t even know why you led this attack. You have been cruel to me, cruel to my family, to my mother. At that time, my mother was going to the hospital every day.”
“So, I don’t understand the behavior of people today. God is my guide. I am a practicing Muslim woman. I am a Muslim Arabic woman. And I got through this moment. I hope I will be even stronger in the future and come back even more motivated.”
The idea that Khelif is secretly a trans woman was started by the Russia-connected International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023, which said that she failed an unspecified gender test after she beat a star Russian boxer in a match. The IBA disqualified Khelif and restored the Russian boxer’s perfect record.
Months later, the leader of the IBA, Umar Kremlev, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, said on Telegram that Khelif had XY chromosomes. No test results were publicly produced.
No trans women competed at the 2024 Olympic Games due to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new anti-trans rules on participation. The IOC stood by Khelif, saying that she met their gender requirements. The IOC had withdrawn recognition of the IBA prior to the Olympic Games, citing a lack of transparency in the organization.
“I repeat that all the competitors comply with the eligibility rules,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams after the Khelif-Cirini fight. “But what I would say is that this involves real people.”
“And, by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.”
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