"I had a transgender coach for f**k’s sake, but I am transphobic!" - When Martina Navratilova responded to alleged transphobia

Martina Navratilova is one of the most recognizable members of the LGBTQ community from the sporting world. That said, her history with activism and the community itself has been far from smooth sailing.

After questioning the fairness to include trans-women in female-only teams in a 2019 newspaper column, the tennis legend drew harsh criticism from some sections of society. She was consequently dropped as a member of the advisory board of Athlete Ally, an organization that supports LGBTQ athletes.

The organization, which the tennis player had co-founded, had at the time dubbed her comments as "transphobic" and based on a "false understanding of science."

“Martina Navratilova’s recent comments on trans athletes are transphobic, based on a false understanding of science and data, and perpetuate dangerous myths that lead to the ongoing targeting of trans people through discriminatory laws, hateful stereotypes and disproportionate violence," Athlete Ally had said in a statement.

Not one to be misrepresented, Martina Navratilova responded to the allegations in an interview with The Guardian the same year. Livid over the way things had spiralled, the legendary former player said that people had completely disregarded her longstanding association with trans people. These people included her former coach Renee Richards.

“I had a transgender coach [Renée Richards] for f**k’s sake,” Martina Navaratilova told the Guardian. “But I am supposed to be transphobic!”

Notably, the newspaper column in question had seen Martina Navratilova cite a 'built-in advantage' that trans-women playing in women’s sports would seemingly have. She had instead batted for “more inclusion on the men’s side” — a stance that did not go down well with sections of the LGBTQ community.

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Renee Richards and Martina Navratilova shared a fruitful partnership

Martina Navratilova received the Venus Rosewater Dish after winning the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in 1982.

Renee Richards is a former American tennis player who garnered recognition for her sex reassignment surgery and subsequent battle to compete in the women's event at the 1976 US Open.

Richards had challenged the United States Tennis Association's genetic screening policy for allowing participation at the US Open. She won the case after the New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor in a landmark judgement.

After retiring from the sport in 1981, Richards took up coaching. Martina Navratilova was someone who she knew well, having competed against the Czech on the professional circuit as well.

The duo formed a partnership and under Richards' tutelage, Navratilova would go on to win two Wimbledon trophies.