Tennis legend Martina Navratilova came out and defended a coach seen at the 2024 US Open wearing a hat from a pro-women athletic brand that’s faced accusations of being “transphobic.”
In a post on Friday on X, Navratilova wrote that it is not “hate” to show support for only women in female sports, and she shared the headline from Sportskeeda that read, “New controversy at US Open as Aryna Sabalenka’s fitness coach Jason Stacy comes under fire for donning hat from pro-women brand ‘XX-XY Athletics.’”
“Thank you Jason [Stacy] for supporting women’s sports- being pro women is not hate, it’s actually progressive,” the tennis legend wrote.
XX-XY Athletics derives its name from the chromosomes XY for males and XX for females. The brand was founded by former Levi president Jennifer Sey. The mission statement on the company’s website reads, “Introducing the only athletic brand that stands up for women’s sports.”
New controversy at US Open as Aryna Sabalenka’s fitness coach Jason Stacy comes under fire for donning hat from pro-women brand “XX-XY Athletics”- thank you Jason for supporting women’s sports- being pro women is not hate, it’s actually progressive. https://t.co/8MQxJQjLVA
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) September 6, 2024
The mission is to “protect women’s sports and spaces” and maintain “fairness” by opposing transgender-identifying males in women’s sports, the outlet noted.
Former female collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines is one of the brand’s ambassadors and has been a well known advocate for only women in female sports.
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In another post on Friday on X, Navratilova reposted a post that noted the size and power of trans-identifying male volleyball player Blaire Fleming from the Iowa Hawkeyes vs. San Jose State’s women’s volleyball game.
“Is it fair for these women who have worked so hard to be dominated by a mediocre male player?” the person asked. The tennis legend responded, “Not just unfair but dangerous and not sustainable. At this rate so many women athletes will be erased.”
Navratilova’s stance against biological males playing in women’s sports is not new. She previously made headlines when she went viral after she took a swipe at trans-identifying males who felt is was acceptable to compete against women.
“Women’s sports is not the place for mediocre male athletes who compete as women,” Navratilova wrote on X .“Period.”
At the time of this publication, the post has garnered 2 million views and counting.
Related: Tennis Legend Martina Navratilova Goes Viral With Post Slamming Trans-Identifying Male Athletes