Martina Navratilova remains a vocal figure in debates about transgender athletes in women’s sports. In 2019, she sparked outrage by calling it “insane and it’s cheating” for transgender women to compete in female categories, citing physical advantages like strength and bone density. Her op-ed in The Sunday Times claimed, “A man can decide to be female, win everything in sight, and then reverse his decision.” The backlash led to her severing ties with LGBTQ+ groups. Yet, unbowed, she declared, “I’ve been speaking my mind for a long time. I’m not going to change that.” And she stands by it even today.

Back in January, Navratilova stirred up quite a buzz after resharing a post by trans game developer and activist Brianna Wu. Wu explained that many trans women enter sex work because, as she put it, “a lot of us have autogynephilia and being objectified is erotic for us.” Navratilova added her own comment: “Saying the quiet part out loud, isn’t he?” This quickly sparked a heated debate online.

One user accused Martina of shifting from “concerned about fairness in women’s sports” to a “full-on disregard of the humanity of trans people,” calling it a “shameful turn.” However, she didn’t back down and defended her stance firmly, replying, “Try again. Males going into women’s spaces is not ok.” 

On Tuesday, Navratilova responded to a heated exchange on X about informed consent and transgender identity in intimate relationships. The original post stated that withdrawing consent for an intimate relationship after finding out that the other person is trans is transphobia. Another user reacted to it, saying “You heard him, folks — informed consent is ‘transphobia.’” Navratilova weighed in on it, adding, “They are getting more and more aggressive and more and more ridiculous.” Her brief but pointed reply shows her frustration with what she sees as an increasingly confrontational tone in transgender discussions.

In the past, Navratilova has emphasized protecting women’s sports categories and ensuring a level playing field for biological females. But as a tennis legend with a big X following (456.9K), her views draw both support and criticism. But criticism doesn’t really faze her.

In response to the backlash she received for labeling trans women’s participation in women’s sports as cheating back in 2019, Navratilova said, “I promised to keep quiet on the subject until I had properly researched it… Well, I’ve now done that and, if anything, my views have strengthened.” While that was six years back, her views continue to reflect in her X posts even now.

Martina Navratilova calls out trans-advocate’s equality judgment

On March 11, Navratilova jumped back into the heated debate over transgender athletes with a sharp reply on X. When an X user wrote, “Trans women are also biological women. This s*** is so unnecessarily cruel to a marginalized group of women who already face extremely high levels of harassment, sexual assault and violence,” Martina didn’t hold back. She fired back with brutal honesty: “Another person who clearly failed Biology 101.”

This isn’t new territory for Navratilova. In February, she sparked another discussion by reposting a poster celebrating trans celebrities with the tagline, “Women’s history is trans history.” Martina disagreed with the sentiment, writing, “No, it’s not… women’s history means Females… and all the obstacles we had to overcome to make history. Trans history is trans history. Women’s history… You get the drift.”

Last year, she expressed outrage over transgender athlete Maelle Jacques’s win in a girls’ high jump event as well. The nine-time Wimbledon champion criticized Jacques directly, writing, “And I will keep saying this ad nauseam until the rules change—women’s sports are not a place for failed male athletes.” Her stance on protecting the integrity of women’s sports has remained unwavering and unapologetic.

It seems like Navratilova will continue to speak her mind on these issues. Her views reflect the broader debate about inclusivity and fairness in sports—a conversation that shows no signs of slowing down. What’s your take on this?