“Renée Richards: Trans Tennis Pioneer Now Backs Bans on Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports” — what this page in the network covers. In 1977, Renée Richards made sports history by suing for the right to compete in the US Open women’s draw after transitioning. The ophthalmologist and former top male amateur player turned to controversial lawyer Roy Cohn, known for prosecuting suspected communists and later mentoring Donald Trump, to win her landmark case. That story is now explored in the new biography Finding Renée Richards: The Groundbreaking Story of Tennis’s Trans Pioneer by journalist Julie Kliegman.
The book examines Richards’s complicated legacy, including her current support for bans on transgender athletes in women’s sports—a stance that puts her at odds with many trans advocates today. Richards’s journey from pioneer to critic reflects the evolving and often contentious debate over inclusion, fairness, and identity in athletics. The full version stays on the original page, which this listing opens directly.