Tennis legend Martina Navratilova is under fire for an op-ed she wrote in the Times of London saying trans women are “cheating” when they are allowed to compete in women’s sports:

Fascinating article in @thesundaytimes – @Martina promised to go away and research trans competitors after previous comments- her conclusion is that the evidence of the advantage they have is clear and she won’t be bullied from saying so – a significant intervention. pic.twitter.com/BgLRPYuZ9R — Peter Lynas (@peterlynas) February 17, 2019

Link here:

Letting men compete as women simply if they change their name and take hormones is unfair, says @Martina https://t.co/p0Rrar0f6c — The Sunday Times (@thesundaytimes) February 17, 2019

She had made a similar comment back in December and told those angry with her then that she would research the issue. Well, her research confirmed it for her:

Criticised for being transphobic, Martina Navratilova went away & researched the subject; she now says her prior view is strengthened — sex differences in bone & muscle density and VO2 max build up over a lifetime https://t.co/QpPds8cMXJ — Claire Lehmann (@clairlemon) February 17, 2019

She did have her defenders back in December:

Amazing: @Martina is one of history's greatest champions of trans visibility, having hired the trans pioneer, Dr. Renee Richards, as her coach *in the 1980s*. She's now being vilified as "transphobic" for discussing entry standards for transwoman athletes https://t.co/HGRalNHZ5K — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 27, 2018

Because of the trailblazing of Renee Richards & @Martina's characteristic bravery, Richards was one of the only trans people the public saw for decades, on TV constantly as Martina's coach. You can disagree with Martina's view without branding her, of all people, "transphobic." — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 27, 2018

According to Navratilova, the only way to eliminate the male advantage is to start the transition process before puberty:

Martina Navratilova on trans inclusion in women's sport: as she says, you can only erase the advantages of maleness by starting medical transition before puberty. https://t.co/ClwApEmsJX — Sarah Ditum (@sarahditum) February 17, 2019

Navratilova is backed up on this by her former coach, trans woman Rene Richards:

Renee Richards, a trans woman and @Martina’s great friend and coach entered women’s tennis aged 40 and won matches against the fittest young female players. She has since reflected that if she’d transitioned in her 20s she’d have won everything and it would not have been fair. — Janice Turner (@VictoriaPeckham) February 17, 2019

At present the eg 150th best guy on the men’s tennis circuit could reduce testosterone for a year or so and without surgery enter women’s tour. Given different power/height/muscle etc could beat Venus Williams. Women have a lot to lose. Sports are sex segregated for good reason. — Janice Turner (@VictoriaPeckham) February 17, 2019

For all of this, Martina is being called transphobic:

The argument Martina is making isn't simply that trans ppl shouldn't be playing sports, it is that being trans is a choice and that somehow these are really men. So she is denying that trans ppl exist. For her, trans ppl don't exist unless they get surgery to become transsexuals. — Dr Chris Pepin-Neff (@christopherneff) February 18, 2019

We’re pretty devastated to discover that Martina Navratilova is transphobic. If trans women had an advantage in sport, why aren’t trans women winning gold medals left, right & centre? Coz trans women don’t have an advantage. Look up the changes that oestrogen makes to the body. — Trans Actual (@TransActualUK) February 17, 2019

Dismayed that @Martina rejects facts, harms youth & promotes oppressive lesbian bullying of other women, especially other queer women. She's abusing her status.

Martina Navratilova on trans athletes: ‘Letting men compete as women is unfair’ https://t.co/QE6f12ztQA via @outsports — Sue Kerr (@PghLesbian24) February 17, 2019

Good for her:

The @guardian leaving out the bit where @Martina Navratilova is praised and thanked by many, many women. And agreed with by almost everyone with eyes and a brain in their head https://t.co/lKce1SYFG2 — Helen Joyce (@HJJoyceEcon) February 17, 2019

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