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Women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova Famed “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling's defense of biological males in women's quarters entered the social media debate on Thursday.
Rowling responded to a thread X by English columnist Dan Hodges, who condemned what he considered the “hostile” treatment of biological males. transgender people who enter women's spaces.
Rowling wrote sarcastically in response to Hodges: “A man telling women that they should pretend that some of his fellow men are women because it’s ‘respectful’ is exactly what this discussion needs.” Thank you for your bravery.”
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling said on X this week that she is not interested in reconciling with actress Emma Watson due to their political differences. (SOPA Images/Getty)
Rowling later wrote: “What you and many other men fail to understand, perhaps because you are so accustomed to women coddling men's sensibilities that you think it is the natural order of things, is that while a trans-identified man is absolutely and rightfully free to dress and address himself as he pleases in our society, this does not give him the right to women's beliefs and words.
“I don't believe that a man literally becomes a woman when he identifies as a woman, and since I have freedom of speech, I have the right to call him a man. Verifiable truths about sex form the legal basis for women's rights and protections. Nothing reveals your inability to understand this issue or your fundamental sexism more than the fact that you, a man, assume the right to dictate to women how they should talk about men.”
Another user then responded to Rowling, saying that the topic of transgender people invading women's spaces is a “fringe issue.”
Navratilova then entered the debate in Rowling's defense.
“Maybe this is marginal for you. Not so marginalized for women who are influenced by men in female sex spaces. Forced speech is also not okay,” Navratilova wrote.
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Tennis legend and women's rights activist Martina Navratilova criticized The New York Times for its controversial depiction of biological women. (Angel Martinez/Getty Images for Laureus)
Navratilova has become a polarizing figure on social media due to her controversial support of liberals and opposition to Trump. She regularly criticizes Democrats for allowing biological males into women's sports.
Last December, she said she was “pissed” that Republicans were taking on the national controversy over trans athletes in women's sports, rather than Democrats.
“And I'm so angry that republicans hijacked this issue – shame on all the elected democrats who are silent about this!!! #whataboutthewomen,” she wrote on X.
The tennis legend appeared at the Independent Women's Forum's “Bring Back Title IX” rally in June to discuss the issue.
“Initially, being the Democrats and women that we are for the most part, we in this group tried to find every possible way to include trans-identified men, men who identify as women, in women's sport“,” she said. “And the more we try to find a way to soften the advantage, to complicate it, to somehow incorporate it, the more we realize that this is impossible. It is impossible to do this in an honest way, and here we are in a completely different position.
“As I got deeper into this issue, I also saw a connection between women's sex spaces and women's sports. They are completely interconnected, and I'm sure the swimmers in Pennsylvania could tell you all about it. Have you heard about Leah Thomasright?
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Martina Navratilova in September 2022 in Flushing, Queens, New York. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Now it's, 'Oh, you're homophobic.' Go figure it out. I've been away since '81. Yes, I’m homophobic,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re a bigot, you’re a transphobe, you’re a Nazi, you’re a fascist, you’re a communist,” everything and everything in between. And it's coming from the left. I'm leftist! My people turned their backs on me. They have turned their backs on us women who stand up for women’s rights based on gender.”
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