“Women’s tennis is not for failed male athletes—whatever age. This is not right and it is not fair,” tweeted former multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Martina Navratilova, once again supporting women who have to endure competing with men in sports. Navratilova felt the need to voice her opinion after it came to light that a male by birth, who now identifies as a woman and goes by the name of Alicia Rowley, has been winning the 55 and over women’s tournaments organised by the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
“Women’s tennis is turning into a laughing stock because of these terrible policies, prioritizing the mental health and identity of men over women who have discovered a love of tennis. The women are calling us and begging for help to be allowed to play fairly. They have complained; they don’t know where else to turn,” tweeted Kim Shasby Jones, founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).
According to the USTA’s transgender inclusion policy, “it is necessary to ensure, insofar as possible, that transgender athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competitions.” The association does not require transgender athletes to confirm their gender identity status in amateur competitions, but certain conditions have to be met for athletes participating in professional events.
The USTA’s guidelines are in line with the Biden administration’s views. Under a proposal released by the administration in April, schools and colleges across the U.S. would be forbidden from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes. In response, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill intended to ban biological men from competing in women’s and girls’ school sports, but the Democratic-controlled Senate has not yet considered the bill and has not scheduled it at all for debate in the upper chamber.
One of the most controversial cases in recent years has been that of Lia Thomas, a man identifying as a woman, who became the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest U.S. national college title with a victory in the women’s 500-yard freestyle race.
Martina Navratilova has not only criticised Lia Thomas but has spoken out against pro-transgender policies many times. In March, she said the World Athletics’ decision to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s categories was a step in the right direction. The international governing body for athletics voted to ban transgender women from elite female competitions if they have undergone male puberty. On Thursday, August 10th, Navratilova berated a museum in Seattle for removing the name J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series, from its Harry Potter exhibition for her “gender-critical” views.
