Taiwan has come out swinging against transphobic billionaire author J.K. Rowling for stoking a culture war at the Paris Olympics over the inclusion of a Taiwanese female boxer whom she claims is a man.
“What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?” Rowling posted to X earlier this week, referring to Taiwan boxer Lin Yu Ting and Algeria’s Imane Khelif, both of whom were born female and have competed as women for years.
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Indignant fans of the Taiwanese boxer weren’t having it.
“So, just a little Taiwan news I got from my fam,” posted Yuh-Line Niou, a Taiwan native living in New York. “Everyone in Taiwan hates JK Rowling now.”
“It’s horrific that J.K. Rowling, who’s wielding her reputation and always uses crazy tactics, totally doesn’t care that she might be wrong, and is desperately smearing our athlete,” read one popular post on X.
“It’s one thing to criticize transgender issues, but our Lin Yu Ting is completely not transgender!” the Taiwanese national newspaper The Liberty Times posted to X. “If J.K. Rowling can’t even tell the difference in this, this editor suggests she focuses on writing novels!”
Rowling latched onto news earlier in the week that the discredited, Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA) had disqualified the two boxers from competition last year citing undisclosed genetic testing that indicated they both had XY chromosomes, identifying them as male. Outsports noted that the IBA is seemingly aligned with Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, with the head of IBA last week saying that IOC head Thomas Bach was among the IOC’s the “chief sodomites.”
A statement from the International Olympic Committee defended inclusion of the athletes, saying they passed through the same qualification process as nearly 1,500 other athletes among 172 National Olympic Committees for boxing.
The ruling by the IBA, they said, originated with a “sudden and arbitrary decision” by the IBA Secretary General and CEO, with suspect “testing” of the athletes coming only later and “without any proper procedure, especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”
“Such an approach is contrary to good governance,” they added.
The IBA’s recognition by the IOC was withdrawn in 2023, following a suspension dating to 2019.
None of these facts have intruded on Rowling’s ignorant claims. In fact, in a Friday X post, she claimed that she still objects to the Algerian boxer Khelif — even though she was born female — because she looks like a “male.”
The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female. https://t.co/KSAM5RCl1S
The author’s disparagement and the angry reaction among everyday Taiwanese people haven’t gone unnoticed by the island nation’s political class, with the once-popular author earning veiled condemnation even from a former president.
“Lin Yu Ting is going to play tonight, seeking to advance, fighting for victory for herself, and fighting for honor for Taiwan” former President Tsai Ing-wen wrote in a Facebook post. “Faced with disturbances and her opponent’s challenge outside of the ring, I believe Lin is not afraid.”
When I met boxer Lin Yu-ting 林郁婷, I saw an athlete who is fearless in the face of challenges, whether they come from inside or outside the ring. Today, when she represents #Taiwan on the Olympic stage, we will be behind her & all the Taiwanese Olympians making us proud. pic.twitter.com/UfSqIqgSxC
