Tennis legend Martina Navratilova issued a one-word response after USWNT star Megan Rapinoe insisted she would have no problem with a transgender woman replacing a biological woman in the squad.
Navratilova, an 18-time grand slam champion, has long been an activist for gay rights and other causes, but she has expressed concern over transgender women competing against biological females in sport and she called said World Athletics' March decision to ban transgender women from women's competitions a "step in the right direction".
However, outspoken soccer star Rapinoe – a two-time World Cup winner – shared a very different view on the subject in an interview with Time Magazine, insisting she would welcome a transgender woman to play with or against her.
"It’s particularly frustrating when women’s sport is weaponized," the 38-year-old said. "Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women’s sports? That’s total bulls***. And show me all the trans people who are nefariously taking advantage of being trans in sports. It’s just not happening.
"‘You’re taking a ‘real’ woman’s place,’ that’s the part of the argument that’s still extremely transphobic. I see trans women as real women. What you’re saying automatically in the argument – you’re sort of telling on yourself already – is you don’t believe these people are women. Therefore, they’re taking the other spot. I don’t feel that way.
“The most amazing thing about sports is that you play and you’re playing with other people, and you’re having fun and you’re being physically active. We’re putting this all through the lens of competition and winning. But we’re talking about people’s lives. That’s where we have to start.”
Navratilova, 66, responded to the article with one word on Twitter. "Yikes..." she posted. Czech-born Navratilova's latest comment came after writing in the Times: "In the wake of World Athletics’ announcement, I think the best idea would be to have ‘biological female’ and ‘biological girls’ categories and then an ‘open’ category."
Rapinoe criticized Navratilova's stance on the subject. “I don’t want to mince words about it,” she added. “Dave Chappelle making jokes about trans people directly leads to violence, whether it’s verbal or otherwise, against trans people.
"When Martina or Sage (Steele, ESPN anchor) or whoever are talking about this, people aren’t hearing it just in the context of elite sports. They’re saying, ‘The rest of my life, this is how I’m going to treat trans people.’”
Rapinoe and her USMNT teammates are bidding to win a third straight World Cup when the tournament gets underway in Australia and New Zealand on July 20.
