"Nobody is banned, trans athletes need to compete based on biological sex" - Martina Navratilova hits back at transphobia accusations
Former tennis professional Martina Navratilova once again gave her opinion on transgender athletes competing in women's sports.
Navratilova, who has been vocal about the topic in the past, slammed comments that said that a blanket ban on transgender females from competing in sports is being called for.
The 66-year-old instead underlined that athletes should compete "based on their biological sex, not based on self-identification," masking it clear that nobody was trying to ban transgender athletes from playing professional sports.
"Another disingenuous piece about trans athletes in sports- nobody is banned- they just need to compete in the category based on their biological sex, not based on self-id. Also-lowering testosterone does very little - certainly doesn't level the playing field - not even close," Navratilova wrote on Twitter.
Another disingenuous piece about trans athletes in sports- nobody is banned- they just need to compete in the category based on their biological sex, not based on self id. Also-lowering testosterone does very little- certainly doesn’t level the playing field- not even close. twitter.com/cathydevine56/…
Her stance was quickly called into question by some of her followers, with one calling her transphobic.
"You really want to keep calling that? Happy for trans identifying females to compete against women. Is that transphobia too? It's all about biology and should be fairly easy to grasp," Navratilova replied.
@shakimiki @Sorelle_Arduino You really want to keep calling that? Happy for trans identifying females to compete against women. Is that transphobia too? It’s all about biology and should be fairly easy to grasp
Earlier this year, Navratilova called for a separate category for transgender athletes in an op-ed in The Times, after World Athletics prohibited transgender women from competing against biological females.
"I think the best idea would be to have 'biological female' and 'biological girls' categories and then an 'open' category," the 18-time Grand Slam champion wrote.
"It would be a category for all-comers: men who identify as men; women who identify as women; women who identify as men; men who identify as women; non-binary — it would be a catch-all. This is already being explored in athletics and swimming in Britain," she added.
Martina Navratilova honored with silver medal by Czech parliament
Hall of Fame player Martina Navratilova recently received an award from the Czech parliament in Prague for her accomplishments in tennis.
Navratilova fled what was then Czechoslovakia nearly 50 years ago in order to improve her chances of having a brighter tennis future.
She received a silver medal of the President of the Senate, and was presented the honor by upper house chief Milos Vystrcil "for outstanding achievement and the courage to be herself."
Stříbrná medaile pro Martinu Navrátilovou 🎖️
Legendární tenistka @Martina Navrátilová z rukou
@Vystrcil_Milos převzala Stříbrnou medaili předsedy Senátu – „za skvělé výkony a odvahu být sama sebou“. https://t.co/EiOidt0xkC
"You gained your freedom and became the best tennis player in the world. And you suffered and your family suffered. But you stuck to your guns. Sometimes, you have to suffer when you get your way. We should remember that," Milos Vystrcil said.
Navratilova defected from Czechoslovakia in 1975 as a teenager due to disputes with the communist regime of the time and went on to win 18 Grand Slam singles titles, becoming World No. 1 in 1978.
She was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000 and has been officially retired since 2006.