"What the actual F?" - Martina Navratilova shocked over journalist Hadley Freeman's revelation of facing sexism
Martina Navratilova was shocked to learn that leading British journalist Hadley Freeman was subjected to sexism in the workplace. In light of Freeman's revelation that her superiors at The Guardian told her to refrain from writing about gender issues because she is a woman, Navratilova raised severe concerns about the incident and accused the publication of 'misogyny.'
Freeman recently opened up about the reasons behind her resignation from The Guardian. During a chat on the BBC's Woman's Hour podcast, she revealed that someone in a higher position at the publication specifically told her that they did not want a woman to cover a gender-based story.
"They said that you are not allowed to write about gender and also, they said to me at the same time, 'I don't want any women to be writing about gender because it gets a lot of kickback on social media. It should be done by the male specialist reporters'," Freeman said.
Reacting to a tweet by author Milli Hill on the matter, Martina Navratilova expressed her sheer dissent and questioned The Guardian over the incident.
"What the actual F?!? Say you’re a misogynist without saying you’re a misogynist…Seriously @theguardian?!?" Navratilova wrote on Twitter.
Did she just say that the Guardian told her only male reporters could write about gender issues, no women writers would be allowed to do this?! #bbcwomanshour
@millihill What the actual F?!?
Say you’re a misogynist without saying you’re a misogynist…
Seriously @theguardian ?!?
Navratilova is an active participant in the fight against gender-based inequality among other social issues that plague society. The American tennis legend has been quite vocal on social media about many social issues.
"Just keep fighting the fight" - Martina Navratilova's key message for women worldwide
In light of the abominations faced by women all over the world, Martina Navratilova shared an important piece of advice. The 59-time Grand Slam champion feels that women must keep fighting against the injustice they are facing globally and always be aware of everything going on around them. She also shared a key message for the youth, in particular, saying that everything they do makes a difference and that they should aim to bring about positive change in society.
"Be careful. I say, stand up for yourself, hang out with friends and stay safe. Just keep fighting the fight," Navratilova said during an interview with Julie Bindel earlier this year.
"I'd say be aware, be involved, and be active. You have to fight for yourself. As a youngster you say, 'It's all gonna be okay, it doesn't really matter what I do. Nothing makes a difference.' But yes, everybody makes a difference," she added.
The 20-time Wimbledon champion, across singles and doubles, Navratilova is also associated with the Women's Sports Foundation, founded by fellow American tennis legend Billie Jean King.