What is a Man? Part 2: The Olympics’ Female Boxing Controversy Ep. 312

Love & Life with Dr. Karin & Pastor Elliott

As you’ve likely heard, last week Olympic boxer Imane Khelif beat Angela Carini in a bout that lasted only 46 seconds.

Carini said of Khelif’s punch to her nose, “I’ve never been hit so hard in my life.”

Controversy ensued because just last year, Khelif had been disqualified from competing in the World Boxing Championships in the women’s category because of testosterone levels that were higher than permissible.

In prior Love & Life episodes, we’ve addressed the touchy subject of men competing against women. We interviewed Paula Scanlan (former UPenn swimmer) in episode 303, author Kara Dansky (The Abolition of Sex: How the “Transgender” Agenda Harms Women and Girls) in episode 245, and radical feminist Isabella Malbin in episode 193.

With the current controversy still brewing, Elliott and I wanted to share our thoughts. We speak to realities of developmental psychology and biology, along with a Biblical vantage point.

We tackle two questions many people currently struggle to answer or would prefer to avoid, “What is a man?” and “What is a woman?”

Elliott and I start with basic biology—if you have XX, chromosomes you are female. If you have XY chromosomes, you are male.

That being said, in some very rare cases of genetic anomalies, determining a person’s sex can be more complicated. Intersexed individuals (or, what is now known as DSD—Disorders of Sex Development) make up 0.018% (Sax, 2022).

We strive to approach this topic from a place of love. As a husband, father, and big brother, Elliott wants to protect girls and women. As a former female athlete, aunt, and stepmother, I want to protect women’s sports and the future of womanhood itself.

Join us for a conversation we need to have, yet many avoid.

Sax L. How common is intersex? a response to Anne Fausto-Sterling. J Sex Res. 2002 Aug;39(3):174-8. doi: 10.1080/00224490209552139. PMID: 12476264.

Fun fact! The author of the article above appeared on Love & Life in episodes 33 and 34!

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Dr. Karin & Pastor Elliott Anderson

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