"Literally grew up with 'Serena Williams is a man' pop culture zeitgeist" - Fans bring back gender misconception about American amid Imane Khelif saga

Questions directed at Serena Williams' gender have been resurfaced by fans amid the raging controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. Khelif sparked mass outrage after her 46-second women's boxing bout with Italy's Angela Carini at the Paris Olympics, with many being of the opinion that the Algerian is a biological male.

Khelif's bout with Carini featured only two punches from the Algerian. The Italian chose abandonment after citing severe pain in her nose, later breaking down in tears. This led to widespread discussions and debates regarding Khelif's gender.

The Algerian's failed gender ineligibility test, conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which resulted in her disqualification from the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships, became a key talking point. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which ruled Khelif eligible to feature at the Paris Games, was critical of the IBA's decision to disqualify the Algerian.

As things stand, the 25-year-old continues to compete at the Olympics and even secured herself of a medal. However, there seems to be no sign of the raging controversy dying down, even though there is very little existing proof to conclude that the Algerian is a biological male or a transgender woman. As per available records, Khelif was born a female and was raised as one as well.

Recently, several fans on X (formerly Twitter) drew parallels between the mass perception of Khelif being a biological male and how Serena Williams was also perceived as such by some over the course of her illustrious career.

Some fans recalled how they grew up with the narrative that Williams is a man, which stemmed from the tennis legend's broad, muscular build, and her incredibly aggressive and powerful style of play.

"We literally GREW UP with “Serena Williams is a man” being part of the pop culture zeitgeist. It was socially acceptable for TV shows, movies, comedians, etc. to mock her for her physique and label her a man," a fan wrote.

"UM WHAT. Serena Williams is even cited in the British Medical Journal as being one of the reasons they started RESEARCHING the phenomenon of discriminatory female athlete testosterone testing following the IAAF ruling," the previous fan wrote in a separate post.

"When white athletes are at the top, no one questions their right to be there. What a world we live in," commented another fan, hinting that racism was behind Williams being perceived as a man and is the root cause of the controversy surrounding Khelif.

Another set of fans remembered Williams' 2018 criticism of being tested for performance-enhancing drugs and banned substances more often than her colleagues on the WTA Tour.

"BS. Williams was tested more than any tennis player for years, & probably more than any other athlete. She never once tested positive for a banned substance; but the Russians alleged w/out any facts that she & Simone Biles were doping. It was racist reaction to Serena’s strength," wrote a fan.

"This revisionist claim that it was “never that extreme” with her is so crazy like we were literally all there witnessing it," another fan commented.

"Simone Biles also gets disproportionately random tested btw," another fan chimed in, referring to tests that the history-making Olympian has had to undergo.

"I have been treated unfairly" - Serena Williams wrote in 2017 essay

Serena Williams (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams penned her honest thoughts on navigating unfortunate circumstances and situations throughout her trophy-laden tennis career in a 2017 essay for Fortune magazine. The former World No. 1 wrote that she had to stand her ground even in the face of disrespectful and racist criticism towards her.

"In every stage of my life, I've had to learn to stand up for myself and speak out. I have been treated unfairly, I've been disrespected by my male colleagues and - in the most painful times - I've been the subject of racist remarks on and off the tennis court," Serena Williams wrote.

The 23-time singles Major winner retired from tennis in 2022, and is now a successful businesswoman, a loving mother to two adorable daughters, and a devoted wife to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.