"Not ok" - Martina Navratilova reaffirms her opposition to inclusion of trans women athletes in women's competitions
Martina Navratilova has continued to state her firm belief that transgender women athletes should not be allowed to compete alongside biologically female athletes in the women's category.
A video clip compiling instances of trans women athletes playing against biological women recently went viral on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and caught the eye of Navratilova, who shared it on her official account. The video featured prominent trans women swimmer Lia Thomas among other trans women athletes playing golf, basketball, racing, boxing, and weightlifting.
It also showed several women athletes speaking up against the inclusion of trans women in the female category. The American tennis legend agreed with the women athletes and posted:
"Not ok."
This tweet from the 18-time Grand Slam champion came after she railed against transgender high-jumper Maelle Jacques after she won the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) indoor track and field championship.
Jacques won the girls' high jump competition on Sunday, February 11, and was victorious in four previous events. Navratilova opined that instances like Jacques' win are evidence that rules need to change to prevent women's sports from becoming a refuge for failed male athletes.
"And I will keep saying this as nauseum until the rules change- women’s sports are not a place for failed male athletes," Navratilova posted on X.
Martina Navratilova supports trans rights on a 'civil level'
While Martina Navratilova has long advocated for keeping trans women athletes out of women's sports, she is not opposed to trans women being athletes and competing in competitions in general.
The 67-year-old recently said on the On with Kara Swisher podcast that she is not opposed to trans women athletes but argued that she supports women competing against athletes who are on the same playing field.
"We are not against trans athletes. We are for women athletes to compete on as level a playing field as possible, which means the males who now identify as women, should compete in a male category and women who identify as men but don't take testosterone can compete as women. Because there is still no advantage physically over other women athletes," Martina Navratilova said.
Moreover, Navratilova said that she is a fervent supporter of trans women on a civil level and has long been a propagator of LGBTQ+ rights.
"I'm all for trans rights on a civil level, a hundred percent. And this is not against trans athletes. This is against male bodies competing as women if they identify as women. Many sports don't even have any mitigation, any allowance for lowering the testosterone level, et cetera," she continued.