Lauren Boebert tries – and completely fails – to raise money for an alleged victim of trans rights

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) Photo: screenshot

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) announced on social media that her fundraiser for a woman who Boebert claimed was a transgender victim had been ended and that all donations would be returned to donors since not even that alleged victim would accept the money.

Boebert raised money for Angela Carini, the Italian boxer who lost to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics this summer. Many on the right decided that Khelif was a trans woman – even though there was evidence that she was not – and then said that Carini was a victim of gender-based violence.

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“A person with XY chromosomes was allowed to compete against real, biological women in the Olympics,” Boebert wrote in a post on . “Americans were rightly outraged and donated generously to my GiveSendGo fund for Angela Carini, one of the women who was beaten in the ring and had to stop her fight to avoid serious injury.”

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Despite being at the center of the controversy and portrayed as a victim by right-wing people convinced that Algeria had secretly entered a trans woman into the Olympics, Carini actually said that she bore no grudge against Khelif and even apologized for it her for the online bullying she instigated.

So perhaps it wasn’t surprising that Carini’s coach turned down Boebert’s money.

“After my team heard from Angela’s coach, we were informed that she did not want to move forward with this difficult chapter in her life,” Boebert wrote. “Although she appreciated the support of so many, she decided not to accept the funds.”

“GiveSendGo subsequently refunded the contributions late last week.”

Khelif has filed a cyberbullying lawsuit in France, citing that attacks by anti-trans author JK Rowling, anti-trans CEO Elon Musk and anti-trans candidate Donald Trump are fueling massive hatred against her.

“You hate me, but you don’t even know me,” she said in tears during an interview with French television CLIQUE. “I don’t even know why you led this attack. You were cruel to me, cruel to my family, to my mother. At that time, my mother went to the hospital every day.”

“So I don’t understand people’s behavior today. God is my guide. I am a practicing Muslim woman. I am a Muslim Arab woman. And I got through that moment. I hope that I will be even stronger in the future and come back even more motivated.”

The idea that Khelif is secretly a trans woman was floated in 2023 by the Russia-affiliated International Boxing Association (IBA), which said she failed an unspecified gender test after defeating a star Russian boxer in a fight had. The IBA disqualified Khelif and restored the Russian boxer’s perfect record.

Months later, IBA Chairman Umar Kremlev, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, said on Telegram that Khelif had XY chromosomes. No test results have been publicly released.

No trans women took part in the 2024 Olympics due to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new anti-trans rules on participation. The IOC stood by Khelif, saying she met her gender requirements. The IOC had withdrawn recognition from the IBA before the Olympic Games, citing a lack of transparency in the organization.

“I repeat that all participants comply with the conditions of participation,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams after the fight between Khelif and Cirini. “But what I would say is that these are real people.”

“And by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.”

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