Facebook has decided to block user access to posts containing the viral #XX hashtag following the ongoing debate over gender eligibility in women’s Olympic boxing in Paris.
Users attempting to access posts featuring this hashtag have been met with a message, stating: “Keeping our community safe: Posts with #XX are temporarily hidden here. Some content in those posts goes against our community standards.” A “learn more” option subsequently redirects users to Facebook’s community standards policy.
The hashtag #XX – a reference to the female chromosomes – gained traction online following a symbolic gesture by two female Olympic boxers; their fingers shaped into an “X” following their match loss.
This happened against the backdrop of allegations of discrepancies in gender identity by the International Boxing Association (IBA). The body initially disqualified two athletes from their events, stating that their genetic test results revealed XY chromosomes.
However, they were permitted to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a body unaffiliated with the IBA, which does not rely on chromosomal testing for determining an athlete’s eligibility.
Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria and Esra Yildiz of Turkey were the pugilists who made this “X” sign after their loss against Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting. Another athlete, Chinese runner Lin Yuwei, replicated this symbol before her 100-meter hurdles race.
The narrative was fueled further by Imane Khelif of Algeria who took home Olympic gold in the welterweight finals.
