Former women’s tennis star Martina Navratilova weighed in on Tuesday’s vote on the Women and Girls in Sports Protection Act in the House of Representatives. The Republican majority voted unanimously to pass the bill, but only two members of the House of Democrats voted for it, while the rest did not.
Navratilova has also taken a firm stance against trans inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports, having previously criticized Democratic lawmakers for supporting it. That criticism continued on Tuesday in a series of posts on X.
“Shame on the Democrats who truly care about women, girls and their safety, justice,” she wrote in response to the news that only two Democratic House members voted for the bill.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Americans Andrea Jaeger, left, and Martina Navratilova hold bouquets after their women’s singles final at Wimbledon in London. Navratilova won the title in straight sets: 6-0, 6-3. (Bettmann via Getty Images)
In another post, Navratilova insisted that there must be more than two members of the Democratic House who oppose trans inclusion, and that those members should “grow a backbone.”
“More Democrats need to step up here. I know many who agree but are afraid to speak up because of re-election. I say do the right thing. Get a spine,” she wrote.
It’s not the first time Navratilova has ripped the left for their differing positions on the issue.
In a December post on X, the tennis legend said she was “mad” that Republicans have tackled the nationwide controversy rather than Democrats, the party she has joined.
SJSU TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: TIMELINE OF ALLEGATIONS, POLITICAL INFLUENCE AND A HAR CULTURE MOVEMENT
Tennis Channel’s Martina Navratilova plays pickleball during a promotional match while playing with PPA player Jay Devilliers of France on Day 13 of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2024 in Paris. (Fred Mullane/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
“And I’m so mad that the Republicans seized on this issue – shame on all the elected Democrats who are silent on this!” she wrote.
The tennis legend appeared at the Independent Women’s Forum’s “Take Back Title IX” rally in June, when she and other prominent female athletes pushed back against the Biden administration’s Title IX rewrite.
There she shared her experience of being attacked by other liberals for her stance on trans inclusion.
Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former professional tennis player, speaks during a joint press conference with Chris Evert of the United States, on Day 5 of the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun 2023 leg of the Hologic WTA Tour, Nov. 2, 2023, in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Now it’s, ‘Oh, you’re a homophobe.’ Find out I’ve been out since ’81, yes, I’m a homophobe,” she said. “‘You’re a bigot, you’re a transphobe, you’re a Nazi, you’re a fascist, you’re a communist ,’ everything and everything in between. And this is coming from the left. I’m left! My people turn against me, women who speak up for women’s sex-based rights.”
Before that, Navratilova called the Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo, who competed in the Paralympics as a trans woman, a “pathetic cheater”. In March, she pleaded “keep women’s sports female.”
