JK Rowling, 59, hits out at GB News guest for dismissing Imane Khelif ‘biological male’ results as ‘discredited’
JK Rowling has publicly hit out at GB News guest Joanne Lockwood after she dismissed the genetic test results of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif as “discredited” during a heated exchange on the People’s Channel.
Lockwood, an inclusive culture expert, appeared on GB News with host Martin Daubney to discuss Khelif’s exclusion from women’s boxing after leaked medical documents allegedly confirmed the athlete has a male chromosome pattern.
Daubney began by pressing Lockwood on the newly released medical evidence: “So what’s your take on the fact that the medical records have come out and it seems to prove conclusively that Khelif is, in fact, a biological man?”
Lockwood pushed back, asking for Khelif to be referred to as female and questioning the validity of the testing.
“First of all, standard respect, dignity apply. This person is a woman… we should be referring to her as a woman,” she said.
“The test results we’re talking about here are the ones that were produced by the discredited test that has already been discussed and discredited.”
We aren’t “‘judging female athletes’ looks” by taking cheek swabs to find out if any of them are actually men. Boxing matches aren’t won or lost on who looks most like Barbie, ffs. https://t.co/akMeTIYto1
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 3, 2025
Daubney interjected, arguing it had nothing to do with belief systems: “It’s the biological evidence. It’s not a belief system. It’s the difference between truth and fantasy.”
Lockwood continued to defend Khelif, saying: “What I do know is this person, this woman, was born a woman, raised as a woman, and has lived as a woman all of her life. And what we’re now doing is judging her based on how she looks, how she sounds, and how we perceive her.”
She added that requiring sex tests in women’s sports is a “regressive” step, comparing it to past practices she called “abhorrent”.
Daubney then pointed to Khelif’s overwhelming physical dominance in the ring: “Do you think it’s progressive… to see somebody like Imane Khelif pulverise a woman to the point where they’re on their knees crying? Clearly physically outmuscled in every aspect?”
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Lockwood dismissed the premise, citing alleged “media conspiracy” and questioning whether Khelif truly had an unfair advantage. “Boxers know when they get in the ring, they’re gonna get hurt… I don’t know whether she is stronger or not.”
Rowling, who has previously been named in a criminal complaint filed by Khelif for alleged cyberbullying, did not hold back in her response.
Taking to X, the Harry Potter author wrote: “We aren’t ‘judging female athletes’ looks;’ by taking cheek swabs to find out if any of them are actually men. Boxing matches aren’t won or lost on who looks most like Barbie, ffs.” (sic)
This comes after it emerged that medical documents showing the boxer has a “male karyotype” were leaked by journalist Alan Abrahamson on the 3 Wire Sports website.
The report, published just 36 hours after World Boxing ordered Khelif to undergo sex screening to remain eligible for the female category, has reignited controversy surrounding the Algerian athlete’s inclusion in female categories of the sport.
World Boxing also announced on Friday that it will introduce mandatory sex testing for all boxers competing in its events.
Under the new policy, all athletes over the age of 18 will be required to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test, which can be carried out using a nasal or mouth swab, saliva, or blood sample.
Speaking out on the issue yesterday, Rowling hit back at critics, calling the ruling “a win for women because they won’t be battered to death in the ring by men.”
She went on to add: “If you had any idea what physical tests women go through routinely in their lives, you’d know a cheek swab is no bigger deal than flossing your teeth.”