"It's called evolving" - Martina Navratilova pushes back against anti-gay marriage arguments, citing legal progress and the evolution of society

Martina Navratilova recently dismissed an anti-gay marriage argument by emphasizing society's evolution. The tennis legend, one of the first openly gay athletes, pointed out that just as women's voting rights and new legal protections have evolved, so too has the recognition of same-sex marriage.

In a controversial post on X (formerly Twitter) shared on Monday, which generated over 7 million impressions, Republican Josh Schriver claimed that gay marriage should be "illegal."

"Make gay marriage illegal again.... This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme," Schriver wrote.

Navratilova, who has been married to former Miss USSR Julia Lemigova for a decade, retorted:

"And yes, taking people’s rights away is extreme."

An X user responded to Martina Navratilova's comment by arguing that gay people have "no right" to adopt what they see as a heterosexual tradition. They claimed that no civilization "throughout human history" recognized gay marriage until it was imposed by law in Western societies.

In response to the comment seemingly challenging the validity of gay marriage, Navratilova refuted the argument, emphasizing societal evolution.

"Crawl under your rock please. Marriage as we know it now, with all the legal protections it gives us here in USA, is quite new. Try again with your millennia argument. 100 years ago women couldn’t vote in US. It’s called evolving."

Notably, a majority of Americans support the legalization of same-sex marriage, with a GALLUP poll from May revealing that 69% of respondents believe it should be legally recognized and granted the same rights as traditional marriages.

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Martina Navratilova is married to former Miss USSR Julia Lemigova & the couple recently adopted two sons

Martina Navratilova (L) Julia Lemigova at Wimbledon 2024. (Image: Getty)

Martina Navratilova won 59 Grand Slam titles in her career across singles and doubles. In 1981, after coming out, she became one of the first high-profile openly gay athletes.

In 2000, Navratilova met former Miss USSR Julia Lemigova and the pair struck a romantic connection after reconnecting in 2008. The couple got married in December 2014, months after the American tennis icon proposed to the former model at the US Open.

In August, the pair adopted two sons. Lemigova, in a recent interview with PEOPLE, described how, despite being sleep-deprived, she was overjoyed by their new family dynamic.

Lemigova spoke fondly of Navratilova’s newfound energy, saying:

"[Martina Navratilova] loves it. She's making pancakes in the morning, taking them to school... She's so energized."

The 52-year-old added that the adoption journey had been mutually life-changing and 'rewarding'.