Khelif’s participation became a heated topic of discussion when people discovered that she had previously failed an eligibility test due to high testosterone levels at a previous competition. This led many to recklessly assume that she was a transgender woman. X became a hub for conversation on this topic, with posts berating the boxer reaching as high as hundreds of millions of views.
J.K. Rowling posted on X claiming that Khelif was being “protected by a misogynist sporting establishment” and was “enjoying the distress” of opponent Angela Carini, while Elon Musk shared a post on the app which referred to the boxer as a man. And although some celebrities – including influencer Logan Paul – retracted their statements eventually, the damage had already been done and the campaign was ignited.
Elon’s resentment for the LGBTQ+ community has been known for some time now, most notably due to his claims that his transgender daughter Vivian was corrupted by the “woke mind virus”, and that her disowning him was what made him become a transphobe. Vivian, who has since changed her last name to Wilson, spoke out against Musk on Threads and called out his misinformation regarding her childhood, as well as his absence in her upbringing.
X has undoubtedly shifted towards the right of the political spectrum since Elon's acquisition of the platform in 2022, with the site increasingly more popular amongst conservative users. A study held by Pew Research Centre showed that a much larger portion of Republicans believe the site is good for democracy, jumping from 17% to 53% since Musk's takeover, whereas left-wing users are over three times more likely to view harassment as a "major problem" on the site.
As for J.K. Rowling, her history of transphobic hate-speech began on X many years ago, and has resulted in her falling out with several actors who starred in the film adaptations of her Harry Potter series. But she continues to propagate her bigoted beliefs online, stating last year that she would “happily” do prison time over her views.
If anyone involved in the case is charged under the prosecution, they could face multiple years in prison and tens of thousands worth of fines. And with cyber harassment cases being taken far more seriously in recent years, there’s every possibility of these being sanctioned. Despite the lawsuit being filed in France, prosecutors can request assistance from other countries to involve overseas individuals in litigation.
Elon Musk often uses the phrase “freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy” in his posts on X. And on the day the deal was completed, Elon tweeted “The bird is freed” on the then-called Twitter. But from deeming the term “cisgender” a slur to reinstating Donald Trump’s account after he was banned for violating the app’s guidelines, one must ask: who exactly is the platform free for?
