{"id":633700,"date":"2026-05-09T23:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/633700\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T23:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:02:22","slug":"womens-tennis-legend-speaks-out-on-california-trans-athlete-controversy-as-newsom-faces-criticism-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/633700\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s tennis legend speaks out on California trans athlete controversy as Newsom faces criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Women\u2019s tennis legend Martina Navratilova weighed in on the sudden trans athlete controversy in\u00a0Gavin Newsom\u2019s\u00a0California<\/a>, with the girls\u2019 high school track and field championships coming up.<\/p>\n

A trans athlete is set to compete in the girls\u2019 tournament<\/a> this year, after\u00a0winning multiple state finals last<\/a>\u00a0year. California is continuing to let biological males compete in girls\u2019 sports under Newsom\u2019s leadership, prompting criticism from many activists.<\/p>\n

Navratilova cheered on two gold-medal-winning women\u2019s Olympians who spoke out against Newsom on Friday.<\/p>\n

The tennis legend shared a Fox News Digital article of women\u2019s Olympic gold medalists Nancy Hogshead and Kaillie Humphries addressing the track and field controversy.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight on Nancy!!! We are just built different!!!\u201d Navratilova wrote in an X post sharing the article.<\/p>\n

In a response to the post, Navratilova argued to another user that Newsom could take action to protect girls\u2019 sports in California.<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsom could overturn this in a second. No excuse,\u201d Navratilova wrote.<\/p>\n

In a later post on Saturday, Navratilova re-shared news that the trans athlete<\/a>, representing Jurupa Valley High School, is seeded first in the upcoming tournament.<\/p>\n

\"Martina<\/p>\n

Martina Navratilova ripped Gov. Gavin Newsom over California\u2019s trans athlete rules ahead of the girls\u2019 high school track and field championships. Getty Images for Laureus<\/p>\n

\"Nancy<\/p>\n

Nancy Hogshead, second from left, criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s stance on California\u2019s trans athlete policy ahead of the girls\u2019 high school track championships. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\u201cCheating\u2026 which at the moment the rules allow. Thanks for nothing [Gavin Newsom],\u201d Navratilova wrote.<\/p>\n

Navratilova, like Hogshead, is a vocal advocate for protecting women\u2019s sports despite supporting Democrats on other issues.<\/p>\n

Hogshead responded to a statement from a\u00a0source within Newsom\u2019s office<\/a>\u00a0on the issue that stated, \u201cThe Governor has said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect,\u201d regarding the upcoming track meet and a planned protest against the trans athlete at the meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Newsom seems to exclude girls from his own standard of \u2018fairness, dignity and respect.\u2019\u00a0It is impossible to include a male \u2014 however they identify \u2014 into girl\u2019s sports and have a fair competition, respecting and dignifying the unique biology of females. Females aren\u2019t weakened males; males and females are built from different molds, so different that it justifies formal, government-sanctioned sex segregation,\u201d Hogshead told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

\"Olympic<\/p>\n

Olympic bobsled gold medalist Kaillie Humphries also criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom over California\u2019s trans athlete policy. EPA<\/p>\n

\"Kaillie<\/p>\n

Kaillie Humphries, a California resident and Trump ally on the women\u2019s sports issue, accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of pushing an agenda \u201cout of the mainstream.\u201d REUTERS<\/p>\n

Hogshead, who represented the U.S. at the 1984\u00a0Summer Olympics<\/a>, where she won three gold medals and one silver medal in swimming, has become a prominent activist in the fight to save women\u2019s sports, despite being a lifelong Democrat. Hogshead is also a civil rights lawyer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government never segregates racially and religiously, but we do segregate by sex because of biology, material reality. Girls and women rely on that formal sex segregation to have the possibility of equality in sport. Governor Newsom needs to include the girls competing in track in his own analysis. As a law professor, this is a big fail,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

\"Gov.<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s office said the debate over California\u2019s trans athlete policy should be guided by \u201cfairness, dignity, and respect.\u201d Nathan Posner\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Humphries, who is a tax-paying California citizen and rising Trump ally in the effort to protect women\u2019s sports, criticized Newsom as well. Humphries has won three Olympic gold medals in bobsled for the U.S. and Canada and six medals in total, making her the most decorated women\u2019s bobsledder in history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing fair about allowing boys to take opportunities from girls in sports. It\u2019s just the left\u2019s thinly veiled misogyny. Governor Newsom should be focusing on California hosting the Olympics which actually knows the difference between men and women and quit pushing his woke agenda which is out of the mainstream of the American public,\u201d Humphries told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

The source within Newsom\u2019s office responded to news that a\u00a0\u201cSave Girls Sports\u201d protest<\/a>\u00a0will be held on Saturday at the site of a track and field playoff meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Governor has said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect. He rejects the right wing\u2019s cynical attempt to weaponize this debate as an excuse to vilify individual kids. The Governor\u2019s position is simple: stand with all kids and stand up to bullies,\u201d a source within the governor\u2019s office told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia\u00a0is\u00a0one\u00a0of 22 states that have laws requiring students be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school sports consistent with their gender identity. California passed\u00a0this law\u00a0in 2013 (AB 1266) and it was\u00a0signed into law by Governor<\/a>\u00a0Jerry Brown.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Jurupa\u2019s trans athlete\u00a0won first place<\/a>\u00a0in triple jump and high jump, and second place in long jump, President Donald Trump\u2019s Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against California state agencies for alleged Title IX violations last July.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s administration cracked down with a more targeted investigation of JUSD in January. The U.S. Department of Education announced JUSD specifically would be investigated for potential Title IX violations, along with 17 other institutions.<\/p>\n

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