Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova never dreamed she’d be labeled a bigot, said Decca Aitkenhead in The Times (U.K.). The Czechoslovakia-born tennis legend, 62, had to Google the term furious social media users were calling her last December: terf, or trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Navratilova, one of the first female athletes to come out as a lesbian, had responded to a tweet arguing that anyone who self-identifies as female should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. “There must be some standards,” she replied, “and having a penis and competing as a woman would not fit that standard.” A firestorm ensued. “I was attacked by my people,” says Navratilova, referring to the LGBTQ community. Higher testosterone levels and larger muscles for trans women who grew up male, she says, pose an insurmountable competitive advantage. “When I was in unbelievable shape, I did 10 pull-ups. But no matter what, I couldn’t bench-press 250 pounds.” Though her stance offends trans people, she says, “For me, this has been about fairness for women and girls. I left a Communist country because I couldn’t say what I wanted to without repercussions. Now, if people attack me, it is what it is.”

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