Homophobic tennis player Margaret Court dumped from club over anti-LGBT+ views
Margaret Court (Evening Standard/Getty)
A famous homophobic tennis legend has been dumped as vice-patron of her club over her anti-same-sex marriage views.
Margaret Court has become notorious for her homophobic rhetoric in recent months as the debate on same-sex marriage heated up.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Margaret Court is announced to the crowed on day six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The string of abusive comments started earlier this year when she made a splash by likening gay people to Hitler.
Court claimed that homosexuality is an ungodly “lust for the flesh”, that LGBT tendencies in young people were “all the devil”, and that older lesbian tennis stars have ‘converted’ younger players in a rant on a radio interview.
More recently, she said that Christmas, Easter and Mother’s Day will be cancelled if the country votes in favour of equal marriage.
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Court has now been voted out of the Cottesloe Tennis Club in Perth where she stood as the vice-patron for years.
Speaking to West Australia, Court claimed that she lost the re-election in a “politically motivated” vote which “silenced” her.
Talking about being dumped by the club, Court described it as “sad”.
She said: “You don’t have the freedom of speech today to really defend yourself.
“It’s a sad day for our nation when it comes to that”.
Ian Hutton, the president of the club, said that it was not only Court’s backwards views on marriage equality that led to the final vote but also her inability to attend club events.
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Chief executive of the club, Michael Roberts, said that Court’s views were “polarising” and so the outcome of the vote was inevitable.
He said: “If you’ve got an opinion that’s very polarising, when you’re so firmly supportive or against something, then it’s going to have an impact on how you’re perceived in the community.
“Obviously, her opinions had played a part in it, there’s no doubt about that.
“Cottesloe Tennis Club, whether they meant to or not, have made a bit of a social stand by making the decision.”
