Martina Navratilova: "Margaret Court is as homophobic as it gets while hiding behind her bible"
Martina Navratilova labeled her fellow tennis legend Margaret Court a "homophobic." Navratilova also defended fairness in women’s sports and opened up about the acceptance of openly lesbian athletes.
Senator Dick Durbin took to X and pointed out that there are 510,000 NCAA athletes out of which ten or fewer are transgender. Durbin urged to "focus on ways to actually improve women’s sports."
In response, Navratilova, a vocal advocate for the exclusion of transgenders from women's sports, called it an "unsafe" and "unfair" fight for women. She wrote:
"Senator- each trans identified male athlete impacts hundreds of female athletes. Why make thousands of women feel uncomfortable, unsafe, and compete in an unfair fight in order to accommodate fewer than 10 TIMS?"
An X account argued that women used to feel "uncomfortable and unsafe" with openly lesbian athletes earlier in the day. Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam winner and one of the first openly gay athletes in professional sports, denied the argument. She wrote:
"Nope. Never happened darling, try again."
Further, the X account cited the examples of Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. They wrote:
"Margaret Court just came out if no where? Please. Billie Jeans documentary was all about it. Now that you’re accepted, keep those other weirdos out, right?"
Navratilova did not hold back and responded to the claim by slamming the 24-time Grand Slam champion Court.
"You are making stuff up as did Margaret who is as homophobic as it gets while hiding behind her bible. And now you get a block."
Martina Navratilova called Margaret Court a "racist and a homophobe" following the Aussie's controversial interview in 2017
In 2017, Martina Navratilova delivered a scathing rebuke of Australian great Margaret Court after the latter's controversial remarks about LGBT individuals. In an interview with Vision Christian Radio, Court claimed that during her playing days:
"There was only a couple [of lesbians], but those couple that led took young ones into parties and things. What you get at the top is often what you'll get right through that sport."
She also added, "We’re there to help them overcome. We’re not against the people."
Navratilova, one of the most prominent openly gay athletes in sports history, did not mince words in her response. In an open letter, she urged Tennis Australia to rename the Margaret Court Arena, stating:
"It is now clear exactly who Court is: an amazing tennis player, and a racist and a homophobe."
"Her vitriol is not just an opinion. She is actively trying to keep LGBT people from getting equal rights. She is demonizing trans kids and trans adults everywhere. Kids will suffer more because of this continuous bashing and stigmatizing of our LGBT community," she added.
Over the years, Navratilova has remained a staunch advocate for LGBTQI+ rights. However, she has drawn a clear line when it comes to inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, arguing that female-based sex spaces must be protected.