Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has criticized Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who won an NCAA women's swimming championship, after Thomas complained about only receiving "half support" for her pursuit in sports.
Speaking on the "Dear Schuyler" podcast with Bailar Schuyler, the first openly transgender NCAA swimmer, Thomas accused those who support her as a person but not her participation in sports of "using the guise of feminism to sort of push transphobic beliefs."
Navratilova tweeted her disagreement in response, saying, "NEWSFLASH Lia- it's not fair. We shouldn't have to explain it to you over and over. Also- stop explaining feminism to feminists."
Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon champion and an activist for the gay community, has been vocal in her opposition to transgender women competing against biological women in sports. She applauded World Athletics last month for adopting a policy to exclude transgender female athletes from women's competitions, calling it a "step in the right direction."
In an op-ed for The Times of UK, Navratilova proposed the creation of "biological female" and "biological girls" categories, as well as an "open" category that would allow anyone to compete, regardless of gender identity.
"Biological females are most likely to compete in the biological female category, as that's their best shot at winning and it maintains the principle of fairness," she wrote. "Once somebody has gone through male puberty, there is no way to erase that physical advantage. You cannot simply turn back the clock, for instance by trying to lower testosterone levels."
Navratilova hoped other sports would follow World Athletics' lead in implementing policies to ensure fair competition for all athletes.
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