‘Growing Up in Russia, I Never Thought I Would Have..’- Martina Navratilova’s Wife Julia Lemigova Gets Real on What It Means to Be Different From the Rest

Jun 13, 2023 | 7:52 AM EDT

‘Growing Up in Russia, I Never Thought I Would Have..’- Martina Navratilova’s Wife Julia Lemigova Gets Real on What It Means to Be Different From the Rest

Jun 13, 2023 | 7:52 AM EDT

Martina Navratilova has always been vocal about gay rights and with Pride Month at its peak, her wife Julia Lemigova is also equally vocalizing her take on LGBTQ+ rights. The couple has become an inspiration for a lot of sports personalities who have gotten the courage to come out because of them. One of them is Billie Jean King who got the unwavering support of her friend Navratilova.

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Embracing her identity, Julia Lemigova threw some light on her perspective on celebrating Pride Month and how things have changed for her.

Julia Lemigova wife of Martina Navratilova on celebrating Pride Month

The Pride month celebrating the existence of non-heterosexual identities is going on in full swing. And at this year’s Stonewall Pride Month Parade, Martina Navratilova’s wife is going to be there.

In an interview with Issuu, Real Housewives star Julia Lemigova talked about what Pride means to her. She stated, “Pride is both a call to action, and the ability to be me comfortably, and unapologetically me.” Looking at how far she has come, she stated, “Growing up in Russia, I never thought I would have the chance to openly march in the streets as a proud LGBT woman.”

Martina Navratilova was the first biggest tennis star who came out in 1981, shortly after she became a US citizen. After that, she never looked back and continues to vouch for equal gay rights.

However, it is not Navratilova and her wife who are celebrating the pride month this year. The recently concluded French Open made sure to imbibe the rainbow vibe.

French Open celebrates Pride Month

The French Open recently celebrated Pride Month while the tournament was going on. Adorning the arena, it commemorated the ten-year anniversary of the legalizing of same-sex marriage in France.

Nationwide protests in 2013 came to rest with this iconic move and French Open even gave its Instagram page a makeover for the same.

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Written by

Shivali Sharma

1,442 Articles

Shivali Sharma is a Tennis Writer and Content Manager at EssentiallySports. With an extensive experience of more than 3 years in writing and content management, Shivali has authored numerous articles concerning the ‘Queen of the Court’, Serena Williams, and the ‘Big 3’, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, including their personal life, career, and more. In addition to this, Shivali is a sworn Djokovic fan who hails his grit in face of every challenge. Additionally, she roots for Jannik Sinner whose relentless gameplay she can’t help but admire. Apart from this, when she is away from writing, Shivali enjoys exploring the great outdoors through trekking and indulging in her passion for reading books.

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Bhavani Singh