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We Just Want to Be Listened To.”: Mundane Transphobia in BBC1’S ‘The Trans Women Athlete Dispute with Martina Navratilova’

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We Just Want to Be Listened To.”: Mundane Transphobia in BBC1’S ‘The Trans Women Athlete Dispute with Martina Navratilova’ Articles – Position Paper: “We just want to be listened to.”: Mundane Transphobia in BBC1’s ‘The Trans Women Athlete Dispute with Martina Navratilova’. Abby Barras This position paper explores the mundane transphobia evident in the BBC1 documentary ‘The Trans Women Athlete Dispute with Martina Navratilova’, which aired on the 26th June 2019. Using rhetorical analysis, it closely examines the language utilised by Martina when she interviews five individuals – Naomi Reid, Alison Perkins, Joanna Harper, Kristina Harrison, and Charlie Martin – about their experiences of participating in sport as trans women. This piece draws on a number of examples to illustrate how mundane transphobia occurs interactionally in conversations between trans and cisgender people. It argues that whilst Martina at times renders herself as advocating for the inclusion of trans women in elite sport, she instead engages with mundane transphobia, that is, ‘the everyday ways in which non-trans people enact marginalisation towards transgender people despite claims to inclusivity’ (Riggs, 2016, p.4). Introduction: Martina Navratilova is a ON the 26th of June 2019, Czechoslovak-born, American, BBC1 aired the programme ‘The former professional tennis player Trans Women Athlete Dispute with and coach and is considered by Martina Navratilova.’ Billed as a many to be one of the greatest one-off documentary special, the female tennis players of all time, programme followed Martina as having won eighteen Gland Slam she, in her own words during the titles and Wimbledon a record nine opening minutes of the programme, times. She is one of sport’s first ‘set out to open up the debate and openly gay figures, coming out in answer some of her own questions 1981 and is a vocal advocate for by meeting a range of athletes, trans LGBT equal rights and a supporter women and scientists.’ The of many charities benefiting the programme was prompted by LGBT community. Previously in events which had taken place on both the UK press and on her social media and in the UK press personal Twitter account, Martina earlier in 2019, where Martina had has stated that she believes that called for an open debate about trans women have no place in elite transgender women athletes sport, saying that ‘it’s insane and competing in elite women’s sports. it’s cheating’ (The Sunday Times, Martina expressed that her wish for February 17th 2019). As a result of open debate consequently sparked, Martina’s views, she was dropped in her own words in the by New York-based Athlete Ally, programme’s introduction, ‘a which supports LGBT sportspeople, heated and passionate argument, from their advisory board and as an creating global news headlines.’ ambassador. British Mensa’s: ANDROGYNY, Volume 3 – (Issue 3) - 5 - Adverts for this documentary on difficult to challenge.’ Mundane social media implied that Martina’s transphobia can be used to thinking had evolved, and the describe how gender normative possibility of Martina changing her accounts of embodiment are still mind divided the Twitter forcibly written upon the bodies of community prior to the many groups of people, albeit often documentary airing. Whilst a in ordinary ways, and how this is number of prominent activists perhaps most evident in the lives of including Owl Fisher hoped she trans people. In this way, mundane had, many more, including World transphobia is a simple and Champion cyclist Dr Rachel effective way to reinforce gender McKinnon, advised caution, stereotypes and justifies arguing that the documentary was maintaining the status quo of irresponsible journalism and for questioning trans women’s Martina to profit from her participation in sport. transphobia was an insult to those in the community she had offended. But what about the people living Mundane Transphobia: behind the rhetoric? The one-hour The documentary begins with documentary covers a lot of ground, Martina saying that she including interviews with Trans acknowledges that there are people Media Watch founder Helen on both sides of the debate, and she Belcher, sociologist Professor Ellis is keen to see that women’s sports Cashmore, sports inclusion legal remain fair and inclusive. Martina expert Dr. Seema Patel, and sports positions herself as both an LGBT scientists from Loughborough ally, having come out as gay early in University. It is impossible to her tennis career, and victim of her consider all of their views here, and own unintentional transphobia, therefore this paper instead aims to and highlights being dropped by give close consideration to whom I Athlete Ally for her transphobic consider the documentary’s most comments as evidence of this. important contributors, the trans Discussions about trans athletes in women who participated: Naomi sport most frequently focus on Reid, Alison Perkins, Joanna trans women and the question of Harper, Kristina Harrison, and immutable competitive advantage, Charlie Martin. and this documentary is no Despite positioning itself as a different. The documentary does vehicle for Martina’s self- not consider trans men, and its exploration in which she wants to failure to acknowledge their evolve her thinking about the presence in sport renders them inclusion of trans women in sport, I invisible and implies that they are argue that this documentary is in insignificant. fact an example of what Riggs In addition, this lack of (2017, p.159) calls ‘mundane consideration dismisses the reality transphobia.’ That is, the ‘banal, of their successes, of which there indeed routine ways in which are many examples, including normative assumptions are made Chris Mosier, a US elite level that make heterosexism and triathlete, and professional boxer transphobia both speakable and Patricio Manuel. Mosier made Team - 6 - British Mensa’s: ANDROGYNY, Autumn Edition – October 2019 USA in 2015 and was placed third relative power and (in)equality in his age group in sprint triathlon between those who have a at the Draft Legal Triathlon World particular range of ‘trans’ Championship Qualifier race in experiences and those who do not.’ 2016. In the same year Mosier By deliberately not using the earned All-American honours in term ‘cis,’ Martina exercises her duathlon and in 2019 he made his gender normative privilege, flexing sixth Team USA appearance. her desire to dominate and control Manuel is the first transgender the language she perceives to be boxer in the history of the United appropriate in this discussion. As States to have a professional fight, Owl Fisher (The Guardian, 2019) and in December 2018 Manuel noted “her refusal to countenance defeated Mexican super- using cisgender to help distinguish featherweight Hugo Aguilarand in between trans and non-trans California. It could be argued that athletes, only confused matters, these successes undermine an creating a dichotomy between assumption that women are ‘women and girls’ and ‘trans inherently weaker than men, and women.’” Martina is willing to listen that trans men can never be as good about the lived experiences of trans as cisgender men in sport, when the people in order to open up the achievements of professionals such debate, but only in the language as Mosier and Manuel offer clear that is familiar and comfortable for examples of them performing her, a tactic frequently employed by better. Martina’s first example of those in positions of power, as mundane transphobia in the argued by many Black feminist documentary comes when she theorists (Hill-Collins, 1990; Hooks, explains how she will not be using 1987). Martina is engaging with the term ‘cis’, saying: mundane transphobia when she ‘I certainly do not want to offend refuses to use the term ‘cisgender’, anybody, somebody’s not going to marginalising and ignoring the be happy, but what I like for the diversity of trans people’s lives, sake of simplicity, cis is just woman, which operates ‘not only to or man, and transgender are trans perpetuate discrimination against men or women.’ trans people…it renders trans Being cisgender means simply people unintelligible, or at best identifying as the gender you were intelligible in particular narrow assigned at birth. Using cisgender ways’ (Riggs, 2014, p.169). This as a term is not a slur, nor does it has the effect of reinforcing her own imply a gender identity more valid linguistic gender hierarchy whilst at or natural than trans. Most the same time discriminating importantly, it does not mean that against trans people’s lived the differences between trans experience and denying them women and cis women are being agency. erased; rather, it clarifies that both terms simply refer to women in different ways. As Pearce, Steinberg The People Behind the Rhetoric: and Moon (2019, p.7) note, ‘terms Naomi Reid such as cis and even non-binary In Riggs’ (2017) piece on help us to account for relations of mundane transphobia, he explores British Mensa’s: ANDROGYNY, Volume 3 – (Issue 3) - 7 - how Oprah Winfrey’s interview with about her childhood experiences Thomas Beatie (who at the time and feelings about her gender, and identified as a trans man and was how she: pregnant), marginalised Beatie’s ‘didn’t really want to play men’s own account of his embodiment by football still, because I see myself as first framing his masculinity a woman…as a trans woman I want through a narrative of his past. to compete in women’s sports, Winfrey not only dead-named because I’m a woman. I mean, I Beatie but fixated on his ‘small keep saying ‘as a trans woman’ but penis’ (Riggs, 2014, p. 18) in order that’s purely for this discussion.’ to perpetuate her belief that Beatie We are reminded of how may identify as male, but is lacking transphobia ‘works as a rebuttal masculinity. A similar system, one that, in demanding ‘autobiography on demand’ trans people provide evidence of narrative can be seen when Martina their existence, and is experienced meets the first three interviewees — as a hammering, a constant Naomi Reid, Alison Perkins and chipping away at trans existence’ Joanna Harper — who all identify (Ahmed, 2016, p.
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