Martina Navratilova to front BBC1 transgender athletes doc

[EweSurname]

I knew she was making a documentary but I didn't know it was for the BBC. Bit wary now of what she'll be allowed to say.

www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasting/navratilova-to-front-bbc1-transgender-athletes-doc/5139862.article#.XOav7YCjPkg.twitter

The tennis star and gay rights campaigner is to front Brook Lapping’s 60-minute doc Trans Athletes: A Fair Playing Field?, which will air next month.

In February, Navratilova was roundly criticised by trans and equality activists for stating that allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sporting tournaments was “insane and cheating”. She subsequently said she would do more research on the matter.

For the doc, Navratilova will speak with the athletes, scientists and sporting officials at the forefront of the debate, including former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who said in March that transgender athletes could “ruin women’s sport”.

She will also meet trans medical physicist and former runner Joanna Harper, who will explain how her run times dropped by more than 10% following her transition.

I suspect this will be heavily edited so as to be perceived as giving a hearing to both 'sides', but will still be very 'on message'. Nothing too controversial!

I think Martina is a good choice by BBC as she came out when being a lesbian was really not the done thing and has fought for LGB rights. She is left wing politically so can't be argued being GC is far right. She had a TW coach and said coach has said if they had participated as a TW in their prime natal women would have had no chance against her. She is a well respected, intelligent woman who will not be silenced.

Martina is TRAs worse nightmare.

Brilliant. This will peak trans millions.

Hopefully the BBC won't conflate issues and obscure the waters too much in their editing.

Even with the BBC’s bias Martina Navratilova has such a clear view on this that they can’t possibly smudge it all away. She clearly doesn’t agree with people who just decide to ‘identify’ as women being allowed to take part in women’s competitions without adjusting hormones etc and although she may not go as far as I’d like, she is so reasonable and such a trustworthy voice for women’s sport I can only imagine how nonsensical arguments from eg. McKinnon will seem in comparison.

Hopefully Martina has insisted on full editorial control.

I suspect this will be heavily edited so as to be perceived as giving a hearing to both 'sides', but will still be very 'on message'. Nothing too controversial!

That was my first thought, too. Maybe it will be part of a series of docs?

Lizzie I really hope also that Martina has insisted on full editorial control. Who now trusts the BBC on this or many other subjects?

Mum I’m sure Martina has management who sort this kind of thing for her. There are usually contracts involved between her and the BBC.

Sorry, that should read *there should be contracts involved

I love Martina, and although I usually avoid the bbc on these issues (blood pressure) I will definitely watch this.

Although if there is this sort of thing - runner Joanna Harper, who will explain how her run times dropped by more than 10% following her transition I might need to watch it lying down while breathing into a bag for my own safety.

Wouldn’t matter at all if transwomens’ performance actually dropped below that of women.

A woman isn’t a man with lower performance.

You don’t become a woman by becoming slower or weaker.

I wonder if they will have that 'expert' on who said women just need to try harder to improve their performance, then they would be the same as transwomen - Beth someone?

Otherwise it looks hopeful with Martina [heart] but I hope the BBC do not nobble it as they seem to do with so much since that BBC2 documentary on trans children.

I love Martina and will watch this if I can (don't live in the UK) but it's the BBC so... my expectations are not high. There will be lots of appeals to empathy, 'fairness', long shots of a sad-faced lone transwoman sitting in an empty sports stadium and the usual 'aw, but look, won't somebody think about the male-bodied folks, they just want to do sports! Be nice, ladies!!' stuff.

You don’t become a woman by becoming slower or weaker.

Exactly.

I’m not really optimistic about this if it’s on the BBC.

I’m sorry to deflate the positive views here but we’re talking about the BBC here. If will likely be edited to show the currently same Martina softening her previous stance when listening to the poor trans athlete who lost 10% in performance as if one swallow ever made a fucking summer. I’d have been more enthusiastic if it was Channel 4 or 5 production but you can forget any hope of it being helpful. It won’t be outrageously in favour of the pro trans camp as they always prostrate themselves to be appear ‘neutral’ but anything less than men can’t be women and compete as female in sport won’t be enough for me and this won’t happen. Martina is an idiot doing this but perhaps she’s trying to get back on the side of a the righteous brigade and stone for her sins

You don’t ‘become’ a woman being slower and weaker (as that’s impossible) but women are slower and weaker overall and in sport. Thats just reality and factual and not a slur on women

Thanks for the reminder will be watching this with interest

Brilliant. Thanks for the reminder.

Martina hasn't backed off from the cotton ceiling stuff, which is heartening

twitter.com/Martina/status/1143247395347734529

Will watch with trepidation. It is the BBC after all and they have majority LGBTQI+++++ working there. There is no way this will be balanced. Not a chance.

Hmm... Reading the BBC's puff piece, it sounds like it's going to be frustrating watch.

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/48777660]

Oops!

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/48777660

Hmm - this quote doesn't bode well

Sociologist Ellis Cashmore tells Navratilova sport will have to change in the same way other parts of society are adapting to gender fluidity - but admits he has been struggling "to figure an alternative".

"I don't think women's sport will look the same in 10 years' time," he explains.

"I think a great many sports are going to have to come to terms with the fact they are going to have to mix sports - in other words, dissolve the binary completely and just say they're open."