Martina Navratilova makes her position clear after 'anti-trans' accusation
Martina Navratilova faced allegations of being 'anti-trans,' but she defended her stance, stating she is pro-women and which is "not anti-anything." The American tennis icon is a vocal advocate for the exclusion of transgender athletes from women's sports and the protection of women-only spaces.
In an incident in the English County, Isle of Wight, Kelsea Broadfoot, 53, admitted to carrying a bladed item in a public area on August 2. Police discovered her intoxicated, with her trousers around her ankles.
An X user shared the article and referred to Broadfoot as a "man," claiming that describing her as a woman was an insult to women. They also accused the authorities of falsifying records.
Martina Navratilova reshared the tweet, adding her own commentary:
"Exactly what I said years ago- all of a sudden we will see a spike in "women's" crime. When it’s males doing them still."
In the comments on Navratilova's post, an X user alleged that the former World No. 1 was "anti trans."
In response, Navratilova expressed surprise that the person didn’t seem to care about women. She seemed to imply that she had only supported women's rights. She wrote:
"You said I was anti trans. I am not anti trans- I am pro women. Pro women sex based spaces. That is not anti anything."
"We just really need this space to be female" - Martina Navratilova advocates for female sex-based spaces
In a podcast called the 'Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt,' Martina Navratilova emphasized the importance of maintaining sex-based spaces, particularly in sports.
Navratilova explained that while identity is important in everyday life, sports should be based on biological sex due to the physical differences between male and female bodies.
"When it comes to sports, we have categories, we have rules for a reason. Male bodies, again, are different. And there's no way to take away the advantage that a male has, no matter how they identify," Navratilova said.
So, by all means, everyday life, acceptance in every which way. But when it comes to female sex based spaces, which includes sports, then I think we need to put a line there and say, you know, we just really need this space to be female. And that's the end," she added.
The 68-year-old regularly addresses the issue on social media and has been a vocal advocate of excluding transgenders from women-based spaces.