In Epic 1-2 Punch, Imane Khelif’s Cyberbullying Lawsuit Names J.K. Rowling & Elon Musk

On Tuesday, Imane Khelif filed a lawsuit against X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) that alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” and directly cited Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling. Ordered in France, the criminal complaint claims that the 25-year-old gold medalist (Algeria’s first in women’s boxing) was the victim of “misogynistic, racist and sexist” cyberbullying due in part to Musk, Rowling, and scores of other public figures (including former president Donald Trump) wrongfully identifying Khelif as a biological male.

“J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Khelif’s attorney, Nabil Boudi, confirmed to Variety. Boudi also noted that Trump would be included in the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”

The suit comes two weeks after Khelif defeated her Italian opponent Angela Carini during the second-round match in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The latter withdrew just 46 seconds into the match after a clean hit to the face, because, quite simply, Khelif is a superior athlete. After the match, Carini very publicly cried and complained about being hit: “I thought about my family, I looked at my brother in the stands and I went to my corner to retire,” she told reporters. “I’ve never been hit with such a powerful punch.” Naturally, right-wingers, anti-trans influencers, and even some members of sports media ran with Carini’s quotes and the fact that she quit the match, and briefly created a completely baseless narrative that Khelif is “a biological male” and a “trans woman.”

Trump also joined in, posting on Truth Social: ”I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS!” Meanwhile, Musk shared a post from American swimmer turned anti-trans activist Riley Gaines that read, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports” cosigning it: “absolutely.” And Rowling not only referred to Khelif as a “male” but accused her of “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”