The internet is overjoyed after Imane Khelif names J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk in cyberbullying criminal complaint
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who was subjected to an awful cyberbullying campaign before winning a gold medal in boxing at the Paris Olympics, has filed a lawsuit against those who engaged in her harassment.
Yesterday, Khelif’s attorney Nabil Boudi confirmed to Variety that J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in a complaint filed with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office. The office also confirmed to the outlet that an investigation will be conducted into “counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin.”
As well as Rowling and Musk, former U.S. president Donald Trump will also be investigated. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution,” said Boudi. People who posted abuse under pseudonyms also won’t escape attention— Boudi is determined to seek justice for his unfairly treated client.
Khelif faced a wave of misinformation and abuse when it transpired that she, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, failed a gender test from the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023. The IBA is however no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee due to concerns about its ethics and judgment, and the IBA has also never disclosed which gender test Khelif is alleged to have failed.
Imane Khelif was assigned female at birth and faced challenges for being born female—her father did not approve of her boxing as he didn’t consider it a sport for girls—and yet prominent online trolls were quick to declare her a man who was “cheating” by participating in the Olympics. Though Khelif is not transgender, the attacks were rooted in transphobia, proving that this form of bigotry harms all women.
What did Rowling, Musk, and Trump say?
Noted anti-transgender activist Rowling arguably added the most fuel to the fire when it came to Khelif. After her fight against Italian boxer Angela Carini ended with Carini pulling out in tears, citing pain in her nose, Rowling took to X (formerly Twitter), posted a picture of Khelif and Carini, and wrote, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.” Khelif did not appear to be smirking in the picture.
Elon Musk, whose transgender daughter has recently spoken out about his poor parenting, reposted a message from the determinedly transphobic Riley Gaines that said “men don’t belong in women’s sports.” Musk agreed with the statement by writing, “Absolutely.” And convicted felon Donald Trump posted a picture of the Khelif-Carini fight with the message, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”
But now, people are delighted at the thought of those three people getting a comeuppance.
How is social media reacting to the news?
Most people on X/Twitter appear to be behind Khelif, despite—no, wait, because of—the fact that the much-hated Musk owns the platform. They’ve responded with delight at the lawsuit.
Plenty of people have directed their ire primarily against Rowling, as her abuse of Khelif was the loudest. Many people have used the “Rowling’s castle is full of black mold” meme to mock her.
Some of the worst people on the internet may be finally facing consequences for spreading lies.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
