JK Rowling and Elon Musk are among the public figures named in Olympian Imane Khelif’s lawsuit against X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter.
Khelif’s presence at the 2024 Olympics in Paris wound up generating a lot of conversation due to false claims and misinformation about her sex while competing in women’s boxing.
This conversation became exacerbated even further when public figures like Rowling weighed in, particularly after the Harry Potter author posted a photo of Khelif in competition with Italian boxer Angela Carini, falsely accusing the former of being a “male… enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.”
Musk – the owner of X – also reposted a photo of Khelif’s opponent accompanying the message “men don’t belong in women’s sports,” adding: “Absolutely.”
via Associated Press
The Algerian gold medallist, who identifies as neither transgender nor intersex, filed a criminal complaint to French authorities for “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” earlier this week, with her lawyer Nabil Boudi confirming to Variety that both Rowling and Musk are named due to their posts, “among others.”
“[Donald] Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution,” Boudi added.
According to Variety, the controversial internet personality Logan Paul also posted, and deleted, a comment falsely labeling Khelif a “man,” before conceding he “might be guilty of spreading misinformation.”
via Associated Press
Despite the controversy, Khelif eventually emerged triumphant in women’s boxing, picking up the gold medal in the welterweight event last week.
She was seen celebrating her victory alongside her fellow champions during Sunday night’s closing ceremony at the Stade de France in Paris.