Tennis legend Martina Navratilova fired back at pop icon Boy George, who had taken a jibe at J.K. Rowling. The exchange took place on X (formerly called Twitter) where George had joked about Rowling creating an island for her followers, calling it “Terfers‑Paradise!”
Rowling has invariably found herself in the middle of the trans athletes debate for asserting the importance of biological sex in law and policy. Her views on sex and gender have received backlash on the internet.
However, she found an ally in Navratilova, who hit back at Boy George. The tennis legend tweeted:
“JK is a brave woman who didn’t need to say anything at all. That she did speaks volumes – and she is on the right side of history. Male bodies have no place in women’s SEX BASED SPACES. Is that ok with you??? It’s neither your place nor your right to give away women’s rights.”
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Martina Navratilova and Rowling are advocates of fair competition in women’s sports. They have argued the place of biological males, regardless of their trans identity, don't deserve a place in the female locker room.
They have also said that transgender females possess an unfair physical advantage; so they shouldn't compete in women-only sports.
Martina Navratilova has advocated for fairness in women sports
Martina Navratilova made her stance extremely clear when she was asked about the playing eligibility of transgender females in women's sports. While she's not against the community, she has been called "transphobic," but she's against the participation of transgender athletes in gender-exclusive sports.
She doesn't want women's sports to be the stage for failed male athletes. During her appearance on The Politics War Room with James Carville & AI Hunt last year, she was against the idea of transgender females sharing the same personal locker room space as women athletes:
"Identity is one thing, but identity does not apply to sports. Sex category applies to sports. Male bodies are different from female bodies. When it comes to female sex-based spaces, which includes sports, then I think we need to put a line there and say 'We just really need this space to be female.' And that's the end."
Meanwhile, J.K. Rowling has also fronted this idea in her own way. She supported the UK Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling clarifying that “woman” is defined by sex under the Equality Act, and donated £70,000 to the For Women Scotland legal challenge.
