Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has criticised ‘The New York Times‘ for its terminology in a report on transgender athletes in women’s sports. The article, addressing college volleyball forfeits involving transgender player Blaire Fleming, referred to biological females as “non-transgender women” while discussing testosterone levels.
Navratilova took to social media platform X, expressing anger, ‘NYT- you stink. We are women, not NOT TRANSGENDER WOMEN. Just WOMEN will do in the future.’ In a follow-up post, she added, “According to @nytimes, women are a subset of males who identify as trans… Can’t make this crap up.”
The New York Times published an article after several Mountain West Conference college volleyball teams forfeited matches against San Jose State University, which includes transgender player Blaire Fleming. While teams haven’t officially named Fleming as the reason, many speculate safety concerns related to competing against a transgender athlete are behind the decisions.
Another team, Boise State forfeited its championship semifinal against San Jose State, saying its players ‘should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes.’ San Jose State will play the winner of the other semifinal between Colorado State and San Diego State.
Fleming has been involved in other recent arguments, including lawsuits and accusations of conspiring with a rival to injure a teammate. Six of San Jose State’s regular season games became no contests due to forfeits, yet the team has advanced to the conference championship game. Fleming received a postseason award from the Mountain West Conference. Teammates sued the coach, university, and conference, seeking Fleming’s ineligibility for the tournament. San Jose State’s coach, Melissa Batie-Smoose, alleges the school tried to ‘silence’ her after she was suspended following complaints about Fleming.
The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) also faces a class-action lawsuit from female athletes alleging violation of sex-based discrimination laws. A judge rejected a request to bar Fleming from the conference and potential NCAA tournament games.
Navratilova also commented on the case of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won Olympic gold after facing accusations of being biologically male. A leaked medical report published in German tabloid Bild claimed Khelif is ‘a biological male’ with male characteristics. The report’s legitimacy is unconfirmed.
Navratilova criticised the gold medalist, saying, “And here we are… Imane might have been raised as a woman, but Imane is a biological male and should not have been allowed to box at the Olympics.”Khelif reportedly filed a cyberbullying complaint in France, naming critics including JK Rowling and Elon Musk. Navratilova responded to this on X, asking, “[Is] Imane still suing JK Rowling? Good luck with that lawsuit.”
