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Rowling just can't help herself when it comes to posting transphobic hate about Olympic medalist Imane Khelif.
J.K. Rowling is back on the hate and ignorance train.
The disgraced Harry Potter author and famed transphobe has posted on X (formerly Twitter) for the first time since August 7. After a rare social media break, the outspoken transphobe is once again taking aim at cisgender boxer and Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif.
Rowling was one of the leading online voices in the crusade against Khelif, a female boxer from Algeria who was targeted with transphobic and racist hate during the Paris 2024 Olympics after a discredited Russian boxing federation claimed she failed an unspecified "gender test."
After Khelif filed an online harassment complaint, specifically naming Rowling, the author had not tweeted in over two weeks, something very rare. Unfortunately, now she's back at it.This morning, Rowling tweeted out an article titled "Imane Khelif Launches Hyper-Feminizing PR Campaign as a Distraction." The article, which is behind a paywall, perpetuates the lie that Khelif is a man.
"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's X post reads.
"As if the activist and media gaslighting surrounding the biology of these fighters wasn’t dizzying enough, Khelif’s team has now launched a PR campaign aimed at hyper-feminizing Khelif to further manipulate public perceptions and emotions," the essay says in reference to a makeover Khelif got after the Olympics.
Whether she is in the boxing ring or in makeup and a dress, Khelif remains a woman.
Khelif's harassment started when the International Boxing Association (IBA) reported that she was disqualified from a boxing tournament last year after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test.
The IBA failed to release evidence, and is also banned from Olympic participation after years of corruption, scandal, and ties to Russian state money.
It is worth noting that Khelif was only disqualified after she beat a Russian opponent in the tournament.
The International Olympic Committee stood firmly behind Khelif, stating that "all athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations."
On August 9, Khelif officially filed an online harassment complaint through her lawyer Nabil Boudi.
"After the sporting time, comes the legal time," a statement from a release about the suit said. "Having just won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to lead a new fight: that of justice, dignity, and honor. Ms. Khelif contacted the firm which filed a complaint yesterday for acts of cyber harassment aggravated by the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office."
"The criminal investigation will determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign, but will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital lynching," it continued. "The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games."
Since then, it seemed like Rowling was making a smart move by not tweeting more lies about Khelif. But she just couldn't resist, and is now back at it. Hopefully this will make Khelif's lawsuit even easier.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
