Momentum to charge the name of Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena has built over the last few days despite trying to be extinguished by right-winged radio shock jocks and tabloid hacks.
The arena’s namesake, former tennis champion now fundamentalist preacher Margaret Court, created her own controversy when she used her position to criticise Qantas and its chairman Alan Joyce for being “an active promoter for same-sex marriage”. She then said “Your statement leaves me no option but to use other airlines where possible for my extensive travelling.”
Instead of taking the matter up in private with Joyce, Court sent the letter for publication in the West Australian newspaper “as the Senior Pastor of Victory Life Church in Perth” but also using her tennis champion position to emphasis her prejudices. “I have represented Australia many times and have the proud record of never losing a tennis match while playing for my country”.
She later went on the television news show The Project bewildered that critics were using her tennis history in the argument to change the venue name, despite the fact that she herself used her tennis history to criticise Qantas.
Joyce claims she has nothing against homosexuals but this is from her own church, the church she founded…
Margaret Court never lost a match while representing Aus, but tennis scoring doesn't include goals. Snapped this at her church last year. pic.twitter.com/FGm7ALF7dQ
— Blake Johnson (@BlakeJohnson) May 25, 2017
Ryan Adams, who performed at the venue on Friday night tweeted the following day that he had played at “Marriage Equality Arena”.
SET LIST: MELBOURNE
Marriage Equality Arena
ON TO SYDNEY…. pic.twitter.com/UuwA7XTlBc— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) May 27, 2017
Promoter Michael Gudinski has also added his support to a namechange telling Cameron Adams at the Herald Sun “They should change the name. I support equality. (Court’s comments) are an embarrassment.”
However, the judgemental right-winged sector of the media are trying to shut down the argument by discrediting those speaking out. Murdoch hack Miranda Devine started her name-calling with ‘rainbow fascists” and Liberal Party loyalist Neil Mitchell referred to “the gay mafia”.
Meanwhile the Reverend Doctor Court still seems confused by her bitter words have created such a backlash. After being given a platform to explain her words Rev Doc Court said the interview was ‘below the belt”.
“We’re getting persecuted; we’re getting bullied because we do have free speech also. I think it’s very, very much one way,” Court said on The Project.
Co-host Meshel Laurie answered, “If anyone is being bullied or suffering trauma from this debate, surely you can’t argue that it’s white heterosexuals.”
This issue is not going to go away.
