One of my favorite pastimes over a number of years was producing and co-directing musical productions in both Huntsville and Bracebridge. I think in total we did about 12 shows, all sponsored by Rotary. We did everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to more modern Broadway productions such as Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof and Hello Dolly, to name a few. We had a lot of fun.
I especially enjoyed Fiddler on the Roof. Every musical production has a story from which we can learn as well as enjoy and Fiddler was exceptional in that regard.
A day or two ago, I was sadly reminded of a theme in Fiddler where Tevye, the male principal, was challenged a number of times in terms of his traditions and beliefs. With a sense of humour which was critical to his story, he gradually loosened up and gave in to various pleas for change from some of his five daughters.
But there came a time when his middle daughter wanted to marry an individual outside of Tevye’s faith. He simply could not go that far. He said, “If I bend that far, I will break.”
I found myself in that position last week watching an Olympic women’s boxing match between Imane Khelif from Algeria and Angela Carini from Italy. The fight lasted 46 seconds before Carini quit the match in frustration, saying, “I have never been hit that hard.”
The allegation is that Imane Khelif, although now a woman, has biological male attributes. She/he recently failed a gender test by the International Boxing Association who found him to be male. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did no gender testing and really didn’t give a damn.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed the thought of many others when she called out the Paris Olympics for allowing Khelif to compete in a women’s boxing match. “At these levels of testosterone, this is not a fair competition. Athletes with masculine attributes should not be authorized in women’s competitions.”
It doesn’t matter to me whether Khelif is trans or not or whether her male chromosomes relate to other circumstances. That is her business. What does matter to me, and what is the breaking point for me, is that any individual who is biologically male in any manner should not be permitted to participate in women’s sports activities. I simply cannot bend that far.
I am not homophobic, although I await those who will say that I am. I believe that the vast majority of people do not choose their sexuality. I believe we are wired the way we come, and every individual should be respected for who they really are and be allowed to freely express themselves.
Notwithstanding the difficulties of controlling it, however advanced we may be when recognizing the importance of people expressing their sexuality based on who they believe they really are, it is my belief that we have to find a way of keeping people with male chromosomes and testosterone out of female sport and athletic activities. It’s just not right. It is a step too far, and it crosses a line that should not be crossed.
Indeed, to me, allowing it to occur is not only disrespectful to women but also just one more indicator that still, in the world we live in today, as avant-garde as some would believe we are, women still struggle for equality and respect.
There are still glass ceilings in our society. When a woman breaks through, it becomes news. It shouldn’t be like that. If it were an equal exercise, it would be no more newsworthy for women to break through the glass ceiling than it would be for men. In fact, there would be no glass ceilings.
A recent editorial in a major newspaper predicted that the deciding factor in the American presidential debate would be abortion. Why? What about the economy, climate change, and international peace? That is the business of government.
However one may feel about abortion, it is my view that it is a personal matter, not a matter for the government to control. Pierre Trudeau, whatever one may think of him, got it right when he said that the government had no place in the bedrooms of the nation.
The bottom line for me is that women have the same right to control their bodies as men. Whether or not I might agree with those decisions is academic. It is none of my business, and it certainly should not be the business of government.
Hard as it may be to believe, women in Canada still have issues successfully competing with men in the workforce. That, too, is just not right.
For the many years I was in business, when interviewing candidates for a position, if a male and female were equally qualified, I would quite likely hire the woman. That was not altruistic of me. It was good business, as over the years, at least in my line of work, I learned that women work harder than men. Perhaps it was that glass ceiling thing, but nevertheless, it was there. Consequently, in my view, there is no excuse for women to be paid less than men when doing the same job.
Then, there is the whole issue of domestic and sexual violence. J.D Vance, who could be the next Vice-President of the United States, a staunch anti-abortionist, described pregnancies caused by rape or incest as an “Inconvenience.” Wow!
And in Ontario, these kinds of attacks have increased substantially over the last decade or so. Meanwhile, our bail and parole system here is such that many of these alleged offenders are still out on the street. What kind of protection for women is that?
Finally, there was an emergency meeting of a parliamentary committee last week in Ottawa to deal with violence against women. At least two witnesses, both survivors of domestic abuse and both with important stories to tell about their own experience with this issue were effectively silenced by Liberal and NDP members of the committee. They were shut down, and they walked out of the meeting both in protest and in tears.
So, how far have we really come when dealing with issues that relate specifically to women? I started thinking about some of these issues again as I was watching the Olympics, especially the boxing competition. We have a long way to go.
Watching someone with male attributes beating the hell out of a young girl and sanctioned by the IOC was a wake-up call for me.
Old white male that I may be, that was still the last straw.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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Hugh Mackenzie: If I kinda’ agree with some of what you said, does that mean I will be subjected to the same slings and arrows as are adorning your shield? Oh, what the hell! I wish people could just accept that I don’t give a twist how they get their jollies. Nor am I interested in from what angle they choose to sprinkle the shrubbery. I won’t ask so please don’t tell me.
The brouhaha over Imane Khelif has been stirred before. Maybe Khelif will medal and maybe not. There is no certainty; not before and there isn’t now. There are already 9 sanctioned fighters who have stopped Khelif. If somebody does it again after all this BS it will be somewhat of a let down. ‘Til people pull it out and give it another whizz round in another couple of years.
For me the apex of stupidity was achieved when the IOC decided to hold swimming events in that polluted trench called the Seine. Some billion and a half dollars was spent to clean centuries of filth from the place. That could have fought hunger in some impoverished nations but that’s hard to get people to watch. Not enough action. How do you sell advertising.
The government deemed the Seine polluted in 1923 and since then I imagine only the odd drunk has taken the opportunity to swim in that s*&t. Justice for me would be to have one IOC member per morning tubed around in it for 15 min. That I would watch.
I’ll root for the athletes but have no real interest in watching. So go to it folks. Do your best. Win a medal. But for the luva’, keep everything closed up tight.
Hugh, I suggest you listen to the excellent CBC podcast ´Tested’ to become more fully informed about the nuances of gender and sex (not the same thing) in general, and specifically, in sport. One detail from the series is that many elite female athletes have higher testosterone levels than non athletes which may give them an advantage -just like being tall with long arm span gives certain basketball players an advantage over short people or sprinters who have high levels of fast twitch muscle fibres run bursts faster -and we don’t exclude them for “unfairness” do we?
Sorry Hugh….but now you’ve crossed my line and I’m disappointed.
I realize it’s tough at times, to find worthy topics to write about, but there’s no excuse for a respected author with your experience to adopt what I see, as the Fox News style.
After a lovely intro, lulling the reader into expecting another interesting and informative Hugh Mackenzie opinion, you drop a grenade.
Your statement “although NOW a woman” early in your article, with the following remarks clearly questioning the fairness in the process of allowing this person to compete in the women’s category in the Olympics, is unquestionably misleading.
No amount of later obfuscating, generalizing or otherwise general questioning, after that very clear challenge of the true fact, can legitimize such a statement.
…straight out of the Fox News procedures manual…
We expect better.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams reads the IOC statement on the women’s boxing tournament at Paris 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4HiUIX9o00
“Despite outcries from anti-trans celebrities and politicians, the International Olympic Committee confirmed Imane Khelif is eligible to compete in women’s boxing at the Paris Games.”
“Fact check: Imane Khelif is a woman
Khelif is a woman, who is not transgender, nor identifies as intersex, according to GLAAD and InterACT.”
– USA Today
I agree with Hugh’s commentary. Rules developed for equity must always carry the greatest weight when there is disagreement. If her genetic material and testosterone level is in noncompliance for fair competition she should be disqualified. The attention over the matter is disturbing for all.
Denying a person’s choice concerning the health of their own body is also in noncompliance for fair treatment and beyond disturbing. It is criminal.
Sadly, the columnist’s argument is based on misinformation about a specific athlete who is female. This was not the case to use to “draw the line” or be the “last straw” I was glad to read that the columnist is aware of issues faced by women at work, and in their family relationships and also probably politics, that place us at a disadvantage. I would add to the columnist’s outraged objections, the systemic legal barriers to justice suffered by Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that continues despite a comprehensive report. Ms Khelif’s triumph as a boxer inspires many to keep fighting every day. We can be tough and aggressive and still be women.
Search “The misleading controversy over an Olympic women’s boxing match, briefly explained
Conservatives are capitalizing on the abandoned Khelif-Carini fight to levy anti-trans attacks.”
Conservatives like old white males where this is the last straw.
Those that agree with the likes of Trump.
“The attention is being used to advance conservatives’ agenda
The facts of Khelif’s Olympic journey have not gotten in the way of the false narrative that exploded in the wake of her win. Her victory proved to be an opportunity for those with transphobic views to score rhetorical and political points.”
“Other boxers have expressed they aren’t concerned about competing against Khelif. “I don’t care about the press story and social media,” said Anna Luca Hamori, a boxer from Hungary”
Search “Olympics 2024: Imane Khelif’s father defends his daughter and says she was born a girl”
“The father of Imane Khelif has defended his daughter and says the Olympic boxer was born and raised as a girl as boxing’s gender row continues.”
“International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also insisted on Saturday there was “never any doubt” that Khelif and Yu-ting are women.
“Let’s be very clear, we are talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman and who have competed for many years as a woman.”
Who cares what old white male conservatives, like Trump and others think?
They should keep their thoughts to themselves.
To reach an Olympic competition Ms Carini and her corner surely must have realized they had a fight on their hands, pun intended. She took hurtful but hopefully not harmful blows. The referee is there to prevent undue punishment being meted out in a mismatch, which this was.
Maybe Carini could have used other tactics but she did not.We will hear more.
How did Ali ( Then Cassius Clay) handle his opening bout in Rome? L George Foreman? Lennox Lewis? They all became professionals and heavyweight kings and surely their opening round opponents got a bad surprise.
We really are only now trying to understand the complex nature of human gender and attributes of all types. Are there strong tough female athletes? Yes plenty and some of them box.
Surprise, I agree with your position regarding this difficult and divisive issue Hugh. My concern is 1/ women’s sports (& female bathrooms) are steadily being eroded/invaded by those with male-measured attributes 2/ someone is going to get killed or permanently maimed if something is not done to correct these unfair match-ups.
Also, the thorny subject of abortion rights. I agree that PET (Trudeau senior) made a valid point that governments have no business in a persons bedroom. However, – ‘promoting’ – abortion should not be allowed, neutral unbiased access to information should be. A women’s right of choice and control over their own body should be respected.
Quite a world we live in today.
I too am saddened to see this topic and misinformation being spread.
From the article in the Sunday Times:
“ While walking through the media mixed zone, Khelif said: “I am a woman.”
Speculation over Khelif’s gender circulated following her win against Italian opponent Angela Carini, who abandoned their fight after 46 seconds following a punch to the face. In posts online, some inaccurately identified Khelif as a trans woman and politicians condemned the Olympics for allowing her to compete.
This weekend her father, Amar, spoke from the family home in Algeria and backed his 25-year-old daughter and insisted that she was born female and she should compete as such.
Showing her birth certificate and family photographs to the media, he said: “My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She is a strong girl. I raised her to work and be brave. Having such a daughter is an honour because she is a champion, she honoured me and I encourage her and I hope she will get the medal in Paris.” “
https://apple.news/AHbW8eIdRQPiBi1SDAFFEJw
My comment:
I hope she wins and that the people who are posting hurtful comments about her gender apologize. She was cleared by the IOC to participate in the Olympics and the IOC has issued a clear statement in response to the hate being spread online.
I am amazed at the sheer number of people who feel they can decide if a female is actually a male. By this logic
most of the rock stars from the 80s must be female due to their “female attributes”. Let’s stick to some facts.
Imane Khelif was born a female. She grew up as a female. According to the IOC rules she is allowed to compete as a female.
This controversy stems from the IBA, an organization that the IOC no longer recognizes because of alleged corruption, stating that she was disqualified from competition in their organization. We do not know what tests were done or the validity of those tests.
Imane Khelif competed in the 2020 Olympics, why was there no uproar then? There are a number of female athletes in a variety of sports that can’t compete because of higher than average testosterone levels. They have four options: don’t compete, take a mixture of drugs/hormones, have surgery or fight a prolonged legal battle.
Imane Khelif has worked hard to compete at the Olympic level. It is a shame that she has to put up with people declaring her victories aren’t valid.
Mr. Forth: Thank you for your comment. With respect however, I was clear that I was not sure of the circumstance under which Imane Khelif was found to have male attributes and chromosomes. My issue was that this boxing match for me raised the importance about whether either biological males or persons with male attributes should be allowed to participate in women’s sports. You did not address that and I would appreciate it if you would.
Very disappointed in the transphobia demonstrated in this editorial. Imane Khelif is a woman – born female and identifying as a woman. To misgender an athlete intentionally is not appropriate in society, and certainly not in the media. Sometimes people have higher or lower levels of testosterone orcestrogen (men of a certain age who require testosterone supplements are one example) which does not denote one’s gender. We just finished Muskoka Pride Week, but editorials like this demonstrate there us still much more awareness and education needed for us to achieve a more inclusive society.
Shawn Forth
Muskoka Pride