"I would be suing and saying prove me wrong" - Martina Navratilova reacts as college coach reassigned to no-contact role over stance on trans athletes
Martina Navratilova recently voiced strong disapproval regarding the reassignment of Kim Russell, the women's lacrosse coach at Oberlin College, due to her stance on transgender athletes.
In March 2022, Russell reshared a video to her personal social media account regarding trans swimmer Lia Thomas defeating University of Virginia swimmer Emma Weyant in an NCAA race. The caption accompanying the video read:
"Congratulations to Emma Weyant, the real woman who won the NCAA 500-yard freestyle event."
Russell divulged that her post was met with significant criticism from the Oberlin College administrators, members of the athletic department staff, and several athletes.
On Tuesday, September 12, Russell, who held the position of head coach for five years, disclosed that she has been reassigned to the role of employee wellness manager, sharing that the new role would effectively sever any direct contact with students.
"I have been taken out of the role of coach, which is what I've done for 27 years. I've been a P.E. teacher, a coach and a teacher of programs of wellness, yoga, all sorts of things, kickboxing…and [been] asked to take a role as employee wellness program manager, which would have no contact with students and be creating things - which is paperwork," she told "America's Newsroom," as per Fox News.
Upon coming across the news, Martina Navratilova expressed frustration over the "ridiculous" reassignment. Furthermore, she stated that if she were in Russell's position, she would consider taking legal action against her employers.
"Oberlin College coach reassigned over stance on trans athletes, says new role has 'no contact with students' | Fox News- To say this is ridiculous would be a huge understatement- I would be suing and saying prove me WRONG!!!" Martina Navratilova posted.
Martina Navratilova recalls accusations of being transphobic following comments on transgender athletes
Martina Navratilova recently penned an essay for Genspect, in which she opened up about her involvement in the discourse surrounding transgender athletes.
"Fairness was on my mind in 2018 when I inadvertently got swept up in the trans-athletes-in-women’s-sports maelstrom with this tweet: 'Clearly that can’t be right. You can’t just proclaim yourself a female and be able to compete against women,'" she wrote.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she faced severe backlash on social media over her controversial post on the issue. The criticism prompted her to take remove the post and dedicate herself to gaining a deeper understanding of the subject.
"I got attacked like crazy on Twitter. Wanting to be open-minded and respectful, I took the tweet down and promised to educate myself, and for the past five years, I’ve been doing that," Navratilova wrote.
Navratilova asserted that in the five years since, she has conducted research on trans athletes, consulted with scientists, and educated herself on the subject.
"I’ve been reading about testosterone. I’ve been talking with scientists. I’ve been listening to female athletes and trans athletes, young and old. And I’ve learned a lot," she added.