Martina Navratilova responds to being called out for 'shameful turn' going from women's sports icon to disregarding 'humanity of trans people'

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova faced criticism for her recent comments on transgender issues. The controversy erupted after Navratilova reshared a post by trans game developer and activist Brianna Wu, sparking a heated debate online.

The incident began when Wu discussed the reasons why many trans women engage in sex work, attributing it to autogynephilia (AGP), a concept suggesting that some men are sexually aroused by the thought of themselves as the opposite gender.

"Many Trans women go into sex work because a lot of us have autogynephilia and being objectified is erotic for us," Wu wrote.

Navratilova reshared Wu's post, adding her own take on the matter:

"Saying the quiet part out loud, isn’t he?"

This remark was met with immediate backlash, with one user accusing the Czech-American tennis legend of shifting from concerns about fairness in women's sports to disregarding the humanity of transgender people, writing:

"God you really did go from "concerned about fairness in women’s sports" to full-on disregard of the humanity of trans people. That really is a shameful turn."

In response, Navratilova defended her stance, stating:

"Try again. Males going into women’s spaces is not ok."

The user then challenged Navratilova's stance, questioning where the issue of women's spaces was initially brought up in the conversation, suggesting that the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion might be using this as an opportunity to misgender Brianna Wu.

"Where did Brianna or you mention women’s spaces in this exchange? This was clearly a chance for you to misgender her to signal to all your new friends how much you are aligned with them. We admired you Martina and we expected (and frankly we needed) more from you," the user countered.

Navratilova continued to defend her position, emphasizing the need for men to fight to keep women's sex-based spaces exclusive to biological women. She argued that this is crucial to prevent men from entering these spaces under false pretenses, stating:

"And I need for men to fight to keep women’s sex-based spaces for women--no matter who might pass and get into that space on false pretenses. Women need more from you."

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Martina Navratilova explains opposition to transgender inclusion in women’s sports

Martina Navratilova during the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards press conference (Image source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova has once again voiced her opposition to transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. This comes after U.S. Senator Dick Durbin shared a video from a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month.

In the video, NCAA President Charlie Baker revealed that out of the 510,000 female athletes in the NCAA, fewer than ten are transgender.

Navratilova joined the debate, stating:

"It’s about sex, not race, not religion, not sexuality. But actual biological sex, which doesn’t not evolve."

In related news, Martina Navratilova criticized male athletes for staying silent on the inclusion of transgender players in women’s sports.