Boy George has joined the chorus of disapproval, speaking out about the latest comments from Perth’s based religious leader Margaret Court.

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Speaking to News Corp, the Culture Club singer said he found Margaret Court’s comments bizarre.

“You know what, it blows my mind that anyone cares. Do you know what I mean. I tweeted the other day marriage should be between people who love each other and that should be the only criteria.” George said.

“I come from the UK and I’m Irish background. It took years for Ireland to legalise gay marriage and they’ve done it now and the world didn’t end.” George said, before suggesting that Reverend Court might have too much time on her hands, and might want to consider spending more time playing tennis.

A week after the marriage equality debate’s latest round kicked off there seems to be no end to Reverend Margaret Court accusations about LGBTI people and their families.

Since declaring she’d boycott QANTAS over their support of marriage equality, the former Tennis star has gone on to claim the LGBT people are the result of abuse, declared transgender children are influenced by the devil, and a sign of bad parenting.

Margaret Court also declared the sport of tennis was full of lesbians, and older lesbians lead younger people “to parties”.

This morning the head of Perth’s Victory Life Church fired off another salvo declaring that the suggestions that her name be removed from the Melbourne arena bearing her name were part of an international conspiracy.

Speaking to Neil Mitchell on Melbourne radio 3AW this morning Reverend Court said it would be wrong to take her name off the stadium because she’d won more Grand Slam’s that anyone else.

Reverend Court said marriage equality activists would be able to create petitions against her within hours because they were backed by American money.

“But I think these times we’re living in, you don’t know what people think — they could probably get 100,000 petitions in 24 hours because that’s how they work — there’s a lot of money behind it and it’s coming from America,” Reverend Court said.

Reverend Court was asked if she believed it was part of a conspiracy, a proposition that she agreed with. “Yes, I believe there is”

“I think the lobby yeah, they’re a minority in number, but they do have a lot of money behind them. Well it’s from United States yes.”

Reverend Court said accusations leveled by tennis star Martina Navratilova that described her as a “homophobe” and “racist” were hurtful.

“I think Martina needs to look at her own country, not our country” Reverend Court said.

Reverend Court said her comments about transgender being influenced by the devil had been misunderstood and her accusation was directed at the Safe Schools program.

Court said she believed people were transgender because they’d been abused, or something had happened in their life, or they’d “had a thought”.

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews has labelled Reverend Court’s comments as “offensive”, but wouldn’t be drawn on whether he supported renaming Margaret Court Arena.

Martin Foley, Victoria’s Equality Minister, said the religious leaders views “represent a world that no longer exists”.

Appearing on ABC TV’s The Drum, transgender rights advocate Cate McGregor said the the gay community had made a strategic mistake by “piling on” to the tennis champion.

McGregor said she found Reverend Court’s views to be “repugnant” but respected that they were within the accordance of the teachings of her faith.

“I think she has absolutely overstepped any support from theology or religion in some of her discursive remarks about the families of transgendered kids, which are just nonsense.”

“To go on about the parents of trans kids failing or neglecting their children, and that transgenderism is some kind of parental failure.

“I know a lot of families with young kinds who are grappling with gender issues, they’re loving families. There’s a mother and father present, and the kids are loved to bits.

McGregor said the parents of trans kids only wanted two things for their children, for their child to be happy, and for them not to kill themselves.

“The risk of self harm among kids who are experiencing this kind conflict doesn’t need to be compounded by this sort of  gratuitous, unsubstantiated, nonsense.”

McGregor said she respected Court’s achievements as a tennis player but suggested she needed to examine her conscience.

OIP Staff