Here are some thoughts, prompted by the Carini-Khelif case and extending beyond it, presented in random order. They will likely lead to my classification as a backward and “transphobic” male chauvinist — so be it, as I am already considered “homophobic” anyway. [1]
- I say “Hats off!” to Angela Carini, who said, “If the IOC allows her to compete, I respect that decision. These controversies made me sad, and I feel sorry for my opponent, who is also here just to fight.” Carini explained that her refusal to perform the customary handshake after the match was a misunderstanding: “It was not an intentional gesture, and I apologize to her and everyone. I was angry because the Olympics were over for me. I have nothing against Khelif; if I met her again, I would hug her.” My respect!
- I generally consider boxing unsuitable as a sport, and even more so for women. It is a skill that certainly belongs in police and military training, and perhaps in self-defense courses, but not in the Olympic Games.
- J.K. Rowling has been advocating for years to differentiate between biological/genetic sex and social gender, which may differ from each other. In this context, she commendably supports maintaining hard-won safe spaces for biological/genetic women. I fully support both positions.
- It is unclear to me whether Imane Khelif is truly a man or a woman. Imane does not seem to fit the typical transgender pattern. However, Khelif’s (biological-genetic) sex is also not entirely clear. [2]
- If sports competitions are held separately for men and women based on biological-genetic sex, for good scientific reasons [3], then there must be objective criteria for determining who is a man and who is a woman, and these criteria must be verifiable in case of doubt.
So much for the specific case of Carini-Khelif. But the discussion about this case also touches on and raises other issues.
- I differentiate between religious beliefs and convictions which apply in my private life and my faith community, and the laws and societal conventions of our largely secular societies and states. Unlike many of my fellow believers, I do not insist that people with other or no religious convictions conform to mine.
- In a democratically governed state, it must be legitimate for people with different beliefs and values to represent and try to implement them politically in accordance with existing laws. This right belongs to conservatives and “progressives,” the right and the left, the religious and the atheists alike.
- I respect the right of every person to live and love according to their ideas, in accordance with existing laws. However, I reserve the right to freely express my opinion on the lifestyle choices of others and resist the compulsive, sometimes even legally enforced, expectation to affirm these choices good and right.
- With the exception of certain physical characteristics such as skin color or gender, I consider anti-discrimination laws legitimate only in the public sector and essential services, and possibly even in public corporations. [4] However, I think they go too far when they interfere with the right of individual citizens to freedom of assuciation, to determine for themselves with whom they want to work or do business, by dictating, for example, whom they should hire or for which customers they should provide their services.
- The use of terms like “homophobic” and “transphobic” for anyone who disagrees with the current politically correct views on homosexuality or transsexuality implies that such opinions cannot have a rational basis. This is both ignorant and unhelpful to a reasonable, civilized debate.[↩]
- One of the major fallacies in the current gender debate is the assumption that issues like gender dysphoria, intersexuality, and purely psychological problems, such as feeling like being in the wrong body, can be easily and seamlessly resolved through hormone treatment and/or surgery, or even simply through legal regulations. The longer medicine, psychology, and legislation follow this approach, the more unexpected, harmful side effects emerge.[↩]
- there are scientifically proven differences in physical performance between people with male DNA and those with female DNA[↩]
- In this context, “public corporations” refers to firms or organizations that are not owned or assigned to individual, named persons, and are therefore not as directly connected to the beliefs of these owners as in the case of partnerships.[↩]