TENNIS LEGEND MARTINA NAVRATILOVA ACCUSED OF BEING 'TRANSPHOBIC'

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova got into a recent X/Twitter spat with reporter and tennis podcaster Ben Rothenberg over transgender rights.

The situation unfolded after the “Take Back Title IX” tour bus was vandalized in North Carolina on Friday. Navratilova is one of the female athletes participating in the tour, which is sponsored by the Independent Women’s Forum, and argues against transgender athletes competing in women's sports.

Navratilova spoke out against the vandalism, which included messages accusing the group of being anti-trans. That's when Rothenberg, who hosts the "No Challenges Remaining" tennis podcast, called out the 18-time major singles champion.

“Martina Navratilova turning this anti-trans crusade into her life’s obsession in recent years remains dispiriting!” Rothenberg wrote. “And she turns it into way more transphobic vitriol than just discussing sports fairness, as I’ve covered before, just being nasty and cruel and dehumanizing. Boo.”

Navratilova, who is gay and has been an outspoken advocate for gay and women's rights over the years, fired back. 

"Yet another man telling women what they should care about,” she tweeted. “And who are you exactly ? Oh yeah, the reporter who tells tennis players it’s off the record and then prints what they said anyway. Good to know you care about women’s sports and women’s sex based spaces. I care."

Rothenberg responded, once again calling out Navratilova, who describes herself as "a leftist" politically. 

"I’ve never done that. But I care also, about someone who was a beacon of freedom and inclusion in the sport I’ve covered sadly choosing to erode the platform she built with cyberbullying campaigns aimed at obscure, low-level amateur athletes. I wish you were better than that," he said.

Navratilova seems to have gotten the last word in after that, revealing that she was going to be blocking the media member.

"Cyber bullying- wow. I am blocking you once and for all," she told Rothenberg. "For your information I am doing a whole lot more than just tweeting. You can just go away now. Hope I see your nasty self at Wimbledon- if you are there."

This is a contentious topic, and we're sure this instance won't be the last back-and-forth Navratilova has with someone about it online.

2024-06-23T18:57:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd