CEO of Women’s Group Raises Concerns About Olympic Boxing Posts Being Censored on Social Media
The CEO of an Australian women’s rights group has questioned why she was banned from a popular platform after commenting on the women’s Olympic boxing.
Women’s Forum Australia CEO Rachael Wong has expressed concern after the LinkedIn networking platform removed posts expressing concerns about fairness in boxing at the Paris Olympics.
The social media platform then banned Wong’s account before later reinstating it.
Wong posted content questioning the fairness of including Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting in the boxing ring at the Paris Olympics because they both possess XY chromosomes.
The Women’s Forum Australia believes it was unfair to pair the boxers with XY chromosomes—who would both go on to win gold—against biological women.
Wong said that after she posted to X about being banned and contacted LinkedIn, her account was reinstated, but her posts regarding boxing and the importance of female-only spaces remained down.
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“It is deeply concerning that LinkedIn considers posting about fairness and safety for women and girls to be ‘hateful,’” she said in a statement.
“It is not ‘hateful’ to stand up for women’s sport. It is not ‘hateful’ to defend the rights and welfare of women and girls. It is not ‘hateful’ to speak the truth.
“I hope LinkedIn will consider reviewing its policies and/or how they are applied so that the LinkedIn community can continue to have these critical conversations without being censored for ‘hate speech’ or having the fear of cancellation hanging over them.”
Speaking Out in Parliament
Labor MP Greg Donnelly spoke in Australia’s parliament on Aug. 14, where he termed Wong’s comments as “considered and reasonable” given the boxers in question had experienced male puberty and had been disqualified from other women’s competitions.
“Nothing disrespectful was said regarding the two boxers in question and her focus was specifically on the welfare and safety of women who were being required to compete against them,” he said.
“It therefore comes not just as a surprise, but a shock that LinkedIn on Tuesday morning locked [Rachel’s access to] the Women’s Forum Australia account … with the threat of being removed from the platform entirely and the reason given for the lock-out—hateful speech.
“These actions by LinkedIn are another example of a company’s appalling behaviour in censoring free speech about the reality of human biological sex, women’s sex-based rights to female-only spaces, services and sports and the harms of gender ideology.”
LinkedIn Responds
A LinkedIn customer service officer responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment, explaining the removal of Wong’s posts.
“LinkedIn removed the post about the female boxer with XY chromosomes due to hate speech and mass reports from different countries,” they said.
“LinkedIn prohibits content that attacks or threatens individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.”
