Martina Navratilova served up some big TERF energy with her attempt to shut down trans ally Daniel Radcliffe.
The lesbian tennis legend blasted actor Daniel Radcliffe on Monday over public support for transgender women on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The transphobic criticism arose over comments Radcliffe made in an essay he wrote for The Trevor Project, where he wrote, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people…”
The piece was penned more than three years ago, but Radcliffe has continued to work with the Trevor Project and to support trans rights and people. In the older essay, he specifically refers to "Jo" — that is, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. The author has become known for her TERF — a term meaning trans-exclusionary radical feminist — remarks against transgender women.
Navratilova retweeted a post rebuking Radcliffe’s statement, urging him to “Just be quiet Daniel. Be quiet.”
When a user probed her stance, Navratilova responded, “Because females need their sex-based spaces, that means no biological males, however, they might identify. That includes sports and the locker rooms,” reinforcing her previously expressed views on transgender women’s participation in women’s sports.
This isn’t the first time Navratilova has been at the center of discussions around transgender athletes. She previously disagreed publicly with soccer star Megan Rapinoe on the same issue. When Rapinoe voiced support for trans women athletes, stating she would have no problem competing with a trans woman on the U.S. women’s national team, Navratilova had a one-word response: “Yikes.”
The Advocate reached out to Navratilova for an interview via X about her comments. However, Navratilova declined the request and wrote back, “If you check my tweets you can understand my POV. Also you can go to our WSPWG website and check that out. Thank you.”
The Women’s Sports Policy Working Group (WSPWG), as per its mission statement, aims to preserve girls’ and women’s competitive sports for “biological females” while attempting to accommodate trans girls and trans women through “evidence-based, respectful criteria.”
However, critics argue that the group’s proposals are thinly veiled attempts at trans exclusion, particularly highlighting their stance on trans girls competing against boys or in a separate division if they have undergone male puberty.
The tennis veteran’s posts on social media illuminate the ongoing debate surrounding transgender inclusion and rights, particularly in the sports sector. Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, has been a vocal opponent of transgender women participating in women’s sports, citing concerns over fairness and competitive advantage.
Radcliffe, widely recognized for his role as Harry Potter, has been an outspoken advocate. His essay for The Trevor Project aimed to spotlight the discrimination faced by transgender and nonbinary individuals, urging for more support and understanding to validate their identities. He and his Harry Potter co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have spoke up in support of trans rights even while Rowling has continued to make transphobic comments.
