"Another legacy pulverized in the name of hate"; "Still a bigot" - Martina Navratilova's "gay boy" comment angers fans

Martina Navratilova received a lot of backlash for her comments towards someone who criticized her opinion on transgender athletes.

The Czech-American has been an outspoken critic against transgender women competing in female sports. She often voices her opinion on the matter on X (formerly known as Twitter). The former player was recently slammed by a user on her views on transgender broadcaster India Willoughby, with the user calling Navratilova's opinions hateful and bigoted.

"Navratilova is one of these irritating people who thinks she speaks for her entire gender. Her hateful, bigoted opinions are very much in the minority, though. Most women support trans people because they've been through a lot of oppression themselves and sympathise," the tweet read.

Navratilova responded to the tweet by calling the user a "gay boy".

"Lol. Bye gay boy :), try again," the Czech-American stated.

Several fans criticized the former World No. 1 for her comment, with one claiming that she pulverised her legacy in the name of hate.

"You know you've been completely abducted by the terf cult when you start treating your own like this person. Another legacy pulverised in the name of hate," the fan's tweet read.

One fan claimed that Navratilova was "still a bigot".

"Martina Navratilova is still a bigot," the fan's tweet read.

Another fan condemned Navratilova's statements for its hateful nature.

"You don’t remember what it was like to be gay in the USSR do you? This is what you are doing to transgender people now. Does that make you feel good? To hurt my children? To not provide medical care because of something they cannot change, they’re just like you. But better," the tweet read.

Here are some other fan reactions:

Martina Navratilova criticizes Scientific American for "utter nonsense" article on sex-based differences between male and female athletes

Martina Navratilova at the WTA Finals in 2021

Martina Navratilova recently slammed the magazine Scientific American for an article that denied sex-based differences among athletes, citing the example of endurance-running events.

"Hey @sciam - how the h*ll can you print this utter nonsense??? I mean how dare you. A name change is needed to Unscientific American," Navratilova said.

The former World No. 1 later stated that she played against male athletes all the time and that she could never beat them because of biological differences.

"I was not treated as a girl or a woman growing up - I was treated as an athlete. Played against boys and men all the time. Never can I beat top guys- it’s called biology. This is utter rubbish," Navratilova said.

Martina Navratilova recently turned 67.