Martina Navratilova joins $1B-worth author J.K. Rowling in making frustrations clear on Australia's controversial lesbian regulation

Martina Navratilova has reacted with dismay at the news that a prominent lesbian rights group in Australia has failed to earn the right to hold lesbian-only events in the country. As per the nation's rules, transsexuals and bisexual women can also attend these events if they wish to.

The development was brought to the tennis champion's notice by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling.

"Australian lesbians aren't allowed to exclude men from public meetings," Rowling posted on X, reacting to a comment on the latest development on the saga by the "Lesbian Action Group."

"Read that sentence again and remind yourself that there are people who claim the gender identity movement poses no threat to women's or gay rights," Rowling, who is worth over $1 billion (per Celebrity Net Worth) added.

"This is so messed up," Martina Navratilova wrote reacting to Rowling's post, "it’s truly unfathomable." She added, "This will be overturned ,I just don’t know when. Males can never be lesbians!"

The Lesbian Action Group has been pressing the Australian government for the right to exclude transgender and bisexual women from its public events. Most recently, it had asked the administrative appeals tribunal to overturn a human rights commission decision preventing it from holding exclusive events for lesbians. On Monday, the tribunal rejected the plea.

Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova, one of the first openly gay women in tennis, is a staunch critic of allowing male-to-female transgenders in women's spaces. She often engages with Rowling on social media regarding the issue. The Harry Potter author, who holds a similar view on the topic, has come under fire from transgender rights activists.

Martina Navratilova is known for her firm opposition to transgenders in women's sports

Martina Navratilova has strongly condemned the participation of male-to-female transgender athletes in women's sports.

Although she strongly opposes the Republican Party and its leader Donald Trump, having endorsed Kamala Harris for President, she has questioned the Democrats' advocacy for transgender rights. Navratilova recently seemed to agree with a post claiming that the Democrat Party's strong advocacy for transgender rights had alienated from centrist voters.

"Never understood why the Democrats so enthusiastically championed objectively bad policies (men in women’s sports - yay!) that also put them out of step with the voters who take a much more sensible position on these issues than them," the post, by X user Sonia Sodha read.

Navratilova, seemingly in agreement with the statement, responded with a

"hmm."

Recently, she had taken potshots against US Representative Pramila Jayapal, for criticizing the US's new "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act," banning transgender athletes from women's sports. She blasted Jayapal's statement as "complete lies" and accused her of "gaslighting."