Martina Navratilova clashes over menopause, drugs, & biology after UK Supreme Court's historic transgender ruling

Martina Navratilova ignited debates over menopause, drugs, and biology in reaction to United Kingdom Supreme Court's historic ruling regarding transgenders. The court ruled that trans women are not covered under the definition of "woman," according to the Equality Act 2010.

On Wednesday, April 16, a five-judge bench of the UK Supreme Court delivered the ruling that ignited fiery debates across social media. Sharing an article about the verdict, one X account called the UK an "evil" country and claimed that "Trans women ARE biologically women."

In response, Navratilova, who is a vocal advocate of the exclusion of transgenders from women-based spaces, wrote:

"They are biologically men. Nothing you say can change facts."

When an X account by the name of 'Midwestern Hedgie' argued that trans women and Navratilova shared a female biological profile, despite differences in reproductive function, Navratilova pushed back strongly. She questioned whether they had experienced menopause, asserting:

"You are a male, I am a female. Pretty binary from what I can tell."

The debate escalated as 'Hedgie' claimed she would undergo menopause upon stopping hormone treatments, to which Navratilova responded:

"Except you need drugs, I don’t. And no- your menopause it’s not really that, is it? How odd is it that males are trying to take over female pain and tribulations that we women would happily not have at all? It’s rather strange…"

For a long time, Navratilova has fought against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. She has shared her views on social media and faced support along with backlash.

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"Identity does not apply to sports" - When Martina Navratilova called for clear sex-based categories in female sports

Martina Navratilova - Source: Getty

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and one of the first openly gay athletes in professional sports, weighed in on the debate around gender identity and sports during a podcast appearance in October 2024. She emphasized the need to maintain female-only categories in sports, stating:

"Identity is one thing, but identity does not apply to sports. Sex category applies to sports. Male bodies are different from female bodies."

"When it comes to female sex-based spaces, which includes sports, then I think we need to put a line there and say 'We just really need this space to be female.' And that's the end," Martina Navratilova added.

Recently, Navratilova criticized USA Fencing after a female athlete was disqualified for protesting a match against a transgender opponent. She later also called a transgender tennis player "lousy" after the player was barred from competing in a local tournament.