Renée Richards

Renée Richards is an American ophthalmologist and former tennis player, born in 1934, who competed on the professional circuit in the 1970s and became widely known following male-to-female medical affirmation, when she fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open. The United States Tennis Association began requiring genetic screening for female players that year, and Richards challenged the policy; the New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor in a landmark case in transgender rights. Among the first professional athletes to transition, she became a spokesperson for transgender people in sports. After retiring from play she coached Martina Navratilova to two Wimbledon titles, in 1982 and 1983.