Martina Navratilova has been removed as an ambassador by Athlete Ally, an organisation that supports LGBT athletes, following her comments on transgender inclusion.
In a newspaper column this week the 18-time grand slam singles champion referred to trans women as men who “decide to be female”, adding that allowing them to compete with women who were assigned female at birth is “cheating and unfair”.
Her comments were heavily criticised and described as “disturbing, upsetting, and deeply transphobic” by the rights group Trans Actual and now Athlete Ally, a US non-profit organisation that campaigns for greater inclusion in sport, has followed suit, also removing the 62-year-old from their advisory board.
In a statement the organisation said: “Athlete Ally unequivocally stands on the side of trans athletes and their right to access and compete in sport free from discrimination.
“Martina Navratilova’s recent comments on trans athletes are transphobic, based on a false understanding of science and data, and perpetuate dangerous myths that lead to the ongoing targeting of trans people through discriminatory laws, hateful stereotypes and disproportionate violence.
“As an organisation dedicated to addressing root causes of homophobia and transphobia in and through sport, we will only affiliate with those committed to the same goal, and not those who further misinformation or discrimination in any way.”
