Martina Navratilova, a tennis legend and Democrat, said her party had an opportunity to have a listening session regarding transgender athletes and rights for women.
However, the tennis star said they never did.
A winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles as well as one of the most famous openly gay people in the history of sports, Navratilova recently spoke with OutKick in an interview and said she tried to send a message to former Vice President Kamala Harris amid the Republican Party blasting their Democratic counterparts in the 2024 campaign cycle regarding transgender athletes and women’s rights. (RELATED: USA Hockey Hit With New Transgender Athlete Allegations By US Senate Committee)
“I tried to get to Kamala Harris’ campaign,” said Navratilova to OutKick. “Nobody would listen to me.”
The tennis star told the outlet she attempted to reach the Harris campaign via someone tied to it but was not able to break in.
She said it wasn’t just a problem with the Harris campaign — it was a problem for the Democrats overall.
Bingo https://t.co/F3aJ3F0JfN
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) June 3, 2026
Navratilova stated that Democrats staying quiet doesn’t mirror what a lot of party members say behind closed doors.
“The politicians, I’ve spoken to some of them, Democrats, and they agree with me. But they said, ‘If I say so publicly, I will get primaried. I will not get reelected,’” said Navratilova, per OutKick.
According to the tennis legend, this results in leaders in the Democratic Party being caught between activists and voters.
“Most Democratic voters agree that this is not okay,” said Navratilova. “They are against all inclusion and self-ID, and they are for women, but Democrats don’t see how they’re throwing women under the bus this way, and it’s just infuriating.
“When we try to get a meeting with the Democratic senators and congresspeople, the staff won’t let us through,” Navratilova continued, per OutKick. “They’re young people, and they are the ones that control everybody. And they’re the ones that are telling them what’s what.”