Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has criticized Democrats for refusing to support a Republic bill aimed at effectively banning transgender girls and women from competing in school sports.
“More democrats need to step forward,” the 68-year-old Prague native wrote in X. 'I know many who agree but are afraid to speak out because of re-election. I say do the right thing. Grow a backbone…'
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the bill supported by Republican President-elect Donald Trump that promises to withhold federal funding from schools that allow trans girls and women to compete in women's sports.
The bill, called the 'Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025,' passed the Republican-controlled House with a vote of 218 to 206. Two Democrats, Henry Cuellar and Vicente González, joined Republicans to push the legislation, an increase from the previous legislature, when no Democrats supported the measure.
Another Democrat voted “present.”
The bill faces an uncertain future in the US Senate. With a 53-47 majority, Republicans could bring the bill to a vote but may not be able to pass it given the chamber's filibuster rule that requires 60 members to agree on most legislation.
It's unclear whether any Senate Democrats would support the bill.
Navratilova criticized Democrats for refusing to support a trans ban in women's sports
Despite being an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, as well as a critic of the president-elect, Navratilova has been a staunch critic of transgender athletes in women's sports.
He explained his position while condemning Trump in an October post.
“I lived in a totalitarian authoritarian country growing up and I will not vote for that now or ever,” wrote Navratilova, who grew up in Czechoslovakia. 'Trump is not pro-women, a rapist and aggressor, he is against everything trans. A big difference. I support trans people but not male bodies in spaces based on women's sex (sic). Simple.'
Despite her objections to the conservative right in the United States, Navratilova has embraced the movement to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports.
About 3 percent of American high school students identify as transgender, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October. But across the United States, 25 states so far have implemented some laws limiting the participation of transgender student-athletes in competition, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that advocates for transgender rights.
Transgender rights have become a point of political tension in the US over the past decade, and in recent years attention has focused on sports participation, as some transgender college athletes have achieved the success, like Lia Thomas, who won a national college title in women's swimming in 2022. .
The National Collegiate Athletic Association considers transgender competition rules sport by sport and takes into consideration the policies followed by prominent associations that govern global sports.
The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate. With a 53-47 majority, Republicans could bring the bill to a vote but may not be able to pass it because of the filibuster rule.
The House's No. 3 Democrat, Pete Aguilar, argued before the vote that the bill has unintended consequences and “puts children at risk” during government “inspections” of transgender students.
“There is concern that it will be abused,” Aguilar told reporters.
This week's bill proposes to amend the landmark 1972 Title IX legislation that prohibited discrimination based on sex. It would force schools to follow strict gender definitions “based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” meaning that students assigned male at birth and who have since transitioned gender would not be eligible for athletic competitions.
The bill allows transgender women to practice and train with female or women's sports teams “as long as no woman is deprived” of opportunities.
In October, Trump told Fox News that he would support such limitations, saying, “The president prohibits them.” You just don't let it happen.
Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride was sworn in this month as the first openly transgender member of Congress, after a campaign focused on economic issues, including protecting unions and affordable health care and child care.