Despite ongoing backlash from the broader Australian community, tennis great Margaret Court continues to voice her criticism of gay marriage.
Appearing on Sky News with conservative commentator Andrew Bolt on Monday, the deeply religious 74-year-old defended her recent comments that she would boycott Qantas where possible due to its stance on gay marriage by saying, “God made man for woman and woman for man … (to) go multiply the earth”.
"I think everybody has their views. I have nothing against gay people and you know we have them in our church and I help them. This is a Judeo-Christian nation and I believe we should protect marriage.”
The former world number one, who has an arena named after her in Melbourne, said that since making her views known, she has been the victim of bullying, particularly by the gay community and its supporters.
Listen: Jayson Brunsdon and Aaron Elias Brunsdon talk about their same-sex relationship and journey to become parents. Post continues...
“I think they [the gay community] always said that we were bullying them but I think there’s a lot of bullying gone on, intimidation,” Court told Bolt.
(Please excuse me while I bang my head on something for a minute.)
Court also complained about her interview with Channel 10's The Project last week, saying the panel's treatment of her was "disgusting."
“They didn’t want to hear what I had to say; all they wanted was for people to hear what they had to say," Court said.
Since making her original comments, thousands of Australians and professional tennis players from around the world, including Martina Navratilova and Richel Hogenkamp, have called for Court's name to be stripped from the iconic sporting venue.
Mamamia on Monday published an open letter to Court, written by Tamara Natt, saying she had let the gay community down.
"When you use your icon status to publicly refute our ability to raise families of our own, you are against us,” Natt wrote.
On Tuesday, tennis star Samantha Stosur suggested players will boycott Margaret Court Arena at next year's Australian Open if action is not taken, something Court says does not intimidate her.
“I’m not intimidated because I know who I am, I love family and I just stand up for righteousness and truth,” Court told Bolt, clearly not understanding that loving, healthy relationships can come in all shapes, sizes, colours and genders.
“In this nation, we have to do that or I think, are we lowering ourselves? What are we becoming as a nation?”
*Cough, equal... we're becoming equal, Margaret.*
Top Comments
I disagree. My partner and I (another male) raised three children, one girl and two boys. All were open and honest with their peers at a local Catholic High School and faced curiosity but not bullying. They brought their friends home for weekends. All three are now adults, all are straight and all have gone on to university. What matters is that they all knew they were loved and supported unconditionally.
It appears everyone in the western hemisphere has the right to free speech - as long as they agree with current "liberal" trends. If they don't agree, and have the courage to say so, then they are sneered at and bullied by the likes of Waleed and Carrie on 10 and by Tony Jones on ABC.
Aly, Bickmore et al have each other for support; how easy then to bully one lone lady who stands apart. This appalling Channel 10 clique is the very antithesis of free speech.