An LGBT group has dropped tennis legend
Martina Navratilova after she penned an op-ed against transgender
athletes competing in women's sports.
Navratilova's column, titled “The
Rules on Trans Athletes Reward Cheats and Punish the Innocent,”
appeared in the Sunday Times of London.
In the column, Navratilova, who came
out lesbian in 1981, called it “cheating” and “insane” for
transgender women to compete in women's sports.
(Related: Martina
Navratilova calls transgender athletes competing in women's sports
“cheating.”)
Athlete Ally, a non-profit dedicated to
ending homophobia and transphobia in sports, responded by dropping
Navratilova from its advisory board and removed her from its
ambassador program.
The group called Navratilova's comments
“transphobic” and accused her of promoting “dangerous myths
that lead to the ongoing targeting of trans people through
discriminatory laws, hateful stereotypes and disproportionate
violence.”
Navratilova has been a strong advocate for
LGBT rights and has voiced her opposition to bills that would
prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice.