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Tennis legend Martina Navratilova responded sharply to a critic who dismissed concerns about transgender participation in women's sports as an 'overblown' issue, making her stance clear. During a fiery exchange online, Navratilova called the critic a "misogynist" and reaffirmed her unshakeable commitment to safeguarding women's rights in sport.
The controversy erupted after a recent town hall meeting at Peterborough, New Hampshire, on March 25, 2025. During the session, Dan Grosz of the Peterborough Democratic Executive Committee called out Rep. Jonah Wheeler for backing House Bill 148 which permits government bodies and companies to segregate bathrooms and locker rooms according to biological sex.
The bill, which was approved by the New Hampshire House in a 201-166 vote, has ignited fierce arguments regarding the rights of transgender people and the safeguarding of women-only spaces. Grosz contended that Wheeler was putting "unsubstantiated" fears of women ahead of the "legitimate" concerns of transgender individuals, a position that mirrors the wider split within the Democratic Party on gender policies.
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Navratilova, an outspoken supporter of women's sports, had some words on the matter after a video of the town hall meeting was released online. Turning to X (formerly Twitter), she expressed support for Rep. Wheeler's choice to support the bill. She rebuked the Democratic Party for what she perceives as a lack of recognition of the effects of policies permitting transgender women to compete in female sports categories.
"Rep. Wheeler would be right on this issue. The dems have lost their ever loving minds in this and shame on them for not learning more about the issues for women and girls while giving males preferential treatment… ignorance is not something to be proud of at all," Martina Navratilova wrote.
Her remarks elicited pushback from a number of X users, one of whom waved off the problem as "the most overblown issue in the entire world." Navratilova was quick to fire back, replying:
"Not for the women who are affected by it. Thanks for caring so much…"
The back-and-forth continued, with the critic agreeing that men shouldn't be competing in women's sports but maintaining the controversy was overstated, impacting only a negligible percentage of the population. In her last reply, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion wasn't shy about speaking her mind:
"Bye bye misogynist. This is not an act and certainly not the end of the world but it is an issue I care about and one I can actually make a difference on. Now go away."
Martina Navratilova rejects the notion that feminism fuels gender identity ideology
Martina Navratilova responded to a post on X in which a user shared their views on various topics in December 2024. In her reply, Navratilova pointed out that women frequently face blame, even when they are the ones being victimized, stating:
"They always, always blame the women first. Think of what is the first most asked question is when a woman is raped- what were you wearing…. Somehow the women are to blame for male behavior- hence burqas, hair coverings etc…"
In other news, Martina Navratilova criticized male athletes for staying silent on the inclusion of transgender players in women's sports.
