Openly lesbian tennis legend Martina
Navratilova is fuming over the rhetoric of anti-gay politicians.
Navratilova, who dominated the women's
tennis circuit for more than a decade, racking up 18 Grand Slam wins
and a record 9 women's single titles at Wimbledon, came out gay in
1981. She is among a handful of openly gay sports figures.
In
a cover story for gay glossy The Advocate, the tennis
great spoke out against anti-gay politicians.
“I just want to strangle these mostly
Republicans who just refuse to recognize hate crimes and who equate
homosexuality with bestiality and pedophilia,” she told the
magazine's Andrew Harmon. “And they get away with it. The way
they're bashing [President Barack] Obama is unbelievable. Why is it
OK for them to be bullies?”
Navratilova added that the president
too often backs down from a fight.
“I did not agree with [President
George W.] Bush, but he stood up for what he believed in, and he just
didn't back away. Even in the face of facts. Obama, he's got such a
hard sell, but I still think he backs off too much.”