“Margaret – enough is enough”: Tennis great’s anti-gay tirades put naming honour on centre Court
Australian player Casey Dellacqua is fed up with Margaret Court’s anti-gay marriage stance after her family was targeted for criticism by the tennis great.
Margaret Court with Rod Laver at the launch of the remodelled Margaret Court Arena in 2015. Photo: Vincent Thian / AP
“Margaret. Enough is enough,” Dellacqua tweeted on Friday, posting a photo of a Court newspaper letter to the editor.
In the letter, the 74-year-old Court laments the birth of Dellacqua’s child in a same-sex relationship.
“It is with sadness that I see that this baby has seemingly been deprived of a father,” Court, a Christian pastor, wrote.
Margaret. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/Cl1DtC4aSL
— Casey Dellacqua OLY (@caseydellacqua) May 25, 2017
Dellacqua is in France and has progressed to the doubles semi-finals of the WTA event in Strasbourg with compatriot Ashleigh Barty.
She spoke out a day after Court announced she will stop using Qantas “where possible” in protest at the airline’s promotion of same-sex marriage.
Court has been a critic of homosexuality and same-sex marriage for decades.
https://twitter.com/janeenorman/status/867566208681336832
Retired tennis player Martina Navratilova has called for Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena to be renamed, while Tennis Australia said Court’s views on gay rights do not align with the governing body’s.
Our statement regarding #MargaretCourt pic.twitter.com/XMxkxwIDrJ
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) May 25, 2017
The operators of Melbourne and Olympic Parks used the Margaret Court Arena twitter account on Thursday to say they do not support her stance.
— Margaret Court Arena (@MCourtArena) May 25, 2017
But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told 3AW today that “whatever people may think about Margaret Court’s views about gay marriage… she is one of the all time greats and the Margaret Court Arena celebrates Margaret Court the tennis player”.
“She’s one of the greatest greats of tennis and that’s why the arena is named after her,” he said.
Hey #MargaretCourt , A PAGAN who STRONGLY SUPPORTS #MarriageEquality ( get a pre-nup tho ) will play the arena named for you tomorrow
; ) pic.twitter.com/lc4GFCkGuF— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) May 25, 2017
-AAP
