“Would you like to mansplain to me just exactly what is a woman then?” – Martina Navratilova argues about the definition of a woman
Martina Navratilova was recently embroiled in an argument on social media regarding the definition of a woman.
A US Senate candidate representing North Carolina caught Martina Navratilova’s attention when he shared a revolting incident that occurred during his campaign. The candidate said that he was asked a controversial question regarding the definition of a woman. He revealed that his manager was quick to dismiss the questioner as a transphobe.
“Today I got my first ‘what is a woman’ question. Before I could say anything my campaign manager replied: ‘F**k off Transphobe!’ There was no reason to say anything else,” he stated.
Today I got my first “what is a woman” question.
Before I could say anything my campaign manager replied:
”Fuck off Transphobe!”
There was no reason to say anything else.
#FuckOffTransphobe
#TransRightsAreHumanRights
Navratilova took it upon herself to answer the doubt and declared that there was nothing transphobic about her definition of a woman.
“A woman is an adult female. It’s pretty simple and that is not transphobic,” she said.
@MatthewPHoh @brianjtrautman A woman is an adult female. It’s pretty simple and that is not transphobic.
However, an individual debated with the tennis legend that her view itself was transphobic.
“That’s pretty much the definition of transphobic,” the individual said.
@Martina @MatthewPHoh @brianjtrautman That’s pretty much the definition of transphobic…
Navratilova was eager to continue the argument and derisively asked the person to explain their views, but the person refused to entertain the 65-year-old.
“Would you like to mansplain to me , an adult human female, just exactly what is a woman then?” she asked.
@scm @MatthewPHoh @brianjtrautman Would you like to mansplain to me , an adult human female, just exactly what is a woman then?
"No, because you’re going to refuse to believe it. You’ve already made up your mind and just want to argue. I’m not wasting any more time on you," the reply read.
@Martina @MatthewPHoh @brianjtrautman No, because you’re going to refuse to believe it. You’ve already made up your mind and just want to argue. I’m not wasting any more time on you.
However, one debater was quick to point out that it was the agenda, rather than the interpretation, that was bothersome.
“Without getting into that interpretation, at the very least it can be argued that most who pose the question have an agenda that's very much coming from a transphobic place. It's similar to those who smugly ask for a definition of white supremacy or patriarchy. It's disingenuous,” said the person.
@Martina @MatthewPHoh Without getting into that interpretation, at the very least it can be argued that most who pose the question have an agenda that's very much coming from a transphobic place. It's similar to those who smugly ask for a definition of white supremacy or patriarchy. It's disingenuous.
Martina Navratilova, however, was not satisfied with the individual’s point of view.
@brianjtrautman @MatthewPHoh Well, it seems there was never any doubt about what is a woman until the last few years… I never felt the need to be more specific about that…
Martina Navratilova’s protest to keep women’s sports secure
Martina Navratilova has been known to advocate for the rights of women in sports. However, many have found her stance on transgender athletes debatable.
Earlier in the year, the 18-time Major winner was unswerving about her opinion on trans swimmer Lia Thomas being allowed to compete in the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships.
“Its not about excluding transgender women from winning, ever. But it is about not allowing them to win when they were not anywhere near winning as men. You try to keep it as close as possible to what it would have been had you been born in the female biological body in the first place,” she argued.
Lia Thomas’ eligibility as a swimmer on the women’s team has been questioned as she began her collegiate career on the men’s team and then returned to swim on the women’s team this year after transitioning.