Christian leader Margaret Court has continued her attack against LGBT Australians, saying transgender children are under the influence of “the devil” and are part of an international plot.
Reverend Court also suggested that professional tennis has been taken over by lesbians who take younger ones “into parties”.
The church leader has been the centre of controversy this week after she published an open letter stating she’d boycott airline QANTAS because they support marriage equality. The debate escalated after there were suggestions that it was no longer appropriate for Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena to bear the champions name.
The tennis champ turned preacher has outlined her thoughts on LGBTI rights in a series of radio and television interviews.
The leader of Perth’s Victory Life mega-church was on Vision Christian Radio yesterday, voicing her opposition to same sex couples being allowed to marry, when she made the claims.
In what was at times, a rambling interview, the outspoken Christian leader touched on a wide range of criticisms of gay, lesbian and transgender people and their families.
Margaret Court said that in her childhood her mother used to suggest that she should have been a boy because of her love of sports.
“I could kick the football better than anybody and play cricket, but you know what I always knew I was a girl and I was conscious, and I was brought up like that, and I liked wearing shorts, but I liked wearing dresses.”
Reverend Court appeared to suggested that with the literature that is available in schools today children would be encouraged to become transgender, and cited poor parenting as a factor in the growing number of transgender youth.
“The stuff that’s put out today into children’s minds… If you haven’t got parents that bring you up that way, and you’ve got parents that don’t care… a child can just start to think ‘well maybe I’m a girl when I’m a boy’ or maybe ‘I’m a boy when I’m a girl'”.
“If you start to think ‘my Mummy and Daddy think I’m a actually a boy, or they think I’m a girl’, That will affect you whole life.”
Reverend Court said people had to be aware of how their thoughts affected their behaviour.
“You can think ‘Oh, I’m a boy’ and it’ll affect your ‘motions [sic] and feelings and everything else. That’s all the devil.”
“That’s what Hitler did, and that what’s communism did, got the minds of the children. It’s a whole plot in our nation and the nations of the world to get the minds of the children.”
Reverend Court suggested that gay and transgender people should follow the teachings of Christ to become their true-selves. The church leader said men who had been gay and involved in prostitution had gone on to get married and have families after being involved in her church.
It’s not the first time Reverend Court has outlined her belief that the Safe Schools anti-bullying program is a communist style plot. Back in 2015 she shared her belief that people become gay by thinking about it.
Responding to talk-back callers, Reverend Court said homosexuality was a “lust of the flesh” and comparable to adultery and pornification [sic], before saying many people who are homosexual are actually opposed to marriage equality.
Reverend Court said the statistics showing the majority of Australians support for marriage equality were wrong, and it was only a small minority who were advocating for change.
“Australia is still Judaeo-Christian, and they’re pushing very very hard.” Reverend Court told host Neil Johnson, saying “We’re built on a biblical constitution, we’re a Christian country and its undermining our values and our morals.”
Margaret Court says tennis is now “full of lesbians”
Margret Court said the sport of tennis was now full of lesbians.
“Tennis is full of lesbians, even when I was playing there was only a couple there, but those couple – that lead that, took young ones into parties and things, because they like to be around heroes.
“What you get at the top is often what you get right through that sport.” the former grand slam champion said.
Martina Navratilova, who is gay, is one of the tennis greats who has suggested that Australia should consider removing Margaret Court’s name of the sporting facility.
Reverend Court said she believed opponents were “hitting below the belt” by suggesting her name be removed from Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena.
British Tennis player Andy Murray has urged Tennis Australia to act on the issue saying threats of a boycott of the Australian Open will create uncertainty in the sport.
‘If something was to be done, I think it would be a lot more beneficial to do it before the tournament starts,’ Murray said.
‘For players to be in a position where you’re in a slam and kind of boycotting playing on the court, I think would potentially cause a lot of issues.” Murray said.
Murray said Reverend Court’s views on marriage were “offensive”.
Dutch player Richel Hogenkamp, has joined the calls for the Tennis Australian to rename the arena, saying player’s might not want to play the Australian Open.
“Obviously, she has all the right to think her own way, everybody has,” Hogenkamp said at the French Open earlier this week. “But for me, to be in this kind of position, I don’t think you should be that outspoken. I have a girlfriend myself, so I don’t agree with what she’s saying.
“I think it would be a good thing to see if the Australian Open can maybe change the name of the stadium, because maybe some players won’t feel so comfortable playing in a stadium named after Margaret Court.” The Dutch player said.
Australian player Sam Stosur has also criticised Court’s views on marriage and previous attacks on Casey Delacqua’s rainbow family.
“The court’s named Margaret Court Arena because of what she did in tennis, and that’s why basically,” Stosur said, noting that she thought it was unlikely the venues name would be changed.
Stosur suggested that players may choose to boycott playing on the court in protest of Court’s views on marriage.
“But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we all get down to the Australian Open next year and [see] who wants to play on Margaret Court Arena and who doesn’t, and we’ll go from there.”
Reverend Court thanked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for his public support. Last week the PM said people should separate Court’s sporting achievements and her views on marriage equality.
OIP Staff. Please note we will be publishing reaction from LGBTIQA+ voices in a later update.
