Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova claims LGBT community ‘jettisoned’ her after she insisted trans athletes have no place in women’s sport
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has said she has been “thrown overboard” by much of the LGBT community for speaking out in the debate about trans women competing in women’s sports.
The nine-time Wimbledon champion, who is lesbian, admitted she has had a “hard time” but vowed to “keep fighting” to protect women’s sport and gender-only spaces.
“I’ve been marginalized by a lot of groups in the LGBT community. But you know, I’ve been vocal about my opinions for a long time. I’m not going to change that,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty tough. But I know I’m on the right side of history. I’m right about most people’s views on gender-based spaces for women, and sports in particular. They must remain feminine.’
She warned that the issue had become “highly political” and said trans rights were “being prioritised over women’s rights, especially for men who identify as women”.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova admitted she had a ‘difficult’ time but vowed to ‘keep fighting’ for women’s sport
The 67-year-old is a nine-time Wimbledon champion
Navratilova said: ‘I have been jettisoned by many groups in the LGBT community’
Parade-goers during Pride in London on June 29
The 67-year-old added: ‘Women are asked to be kind and inclusive, but by including transgender-identified men in women’s sport you are excluding women.
“Anyway, it’s a long story. I won’t go into too much detail. Yeah, it’s been pretty tough in the LGBT community.”
The star spoke at a press conference with former rival Chris Evert on the eve of this year’s championships.
The tennis greats, who say they became good friends after being diagnosed with cancer at the same time, are working together on a new documentary.
“Cancer has brought us much closer together, it’s ironic that something like this is actually a blessing,” Navratilova said.