Dylan Alcott has recalled the moment he was heckled on a date by a preacher who called him ‘the spawn of Satan’, as he revealed why he fears Scott Morrison’s religious freedom laws would make life harder for society’s most vulnerable.
The tennis ace told viewers he was just 16 when the traumatic interaction unfolded, during an appearance on the ABC’s Q&A program on Wednesday night.
Alcott said he had been leaving a Nando’s restaurant in Victoria’s Chadstone Shopping Centre when the preacher launched his vile verbal spray.
‘A preacher was there and started screaming at me that I was a spawn of Satan and prayed for me and my date, and told my date that it was a bad idea they were with me. Because that was the religion they believed,’ he said.
Paralympian and disability advocate Dylan Alcott (pictured) has recalled the moment a preacher likened him to ‘the spawn of Satan’ while he was on a date at just 16 years old
The 2022 Australian of the Year explained that some ‘more traditional’ religions believe people with disabilities are a spawn of Satan and view their disability as a punishment because they or their parents have done something wrong.
Born with a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord, Alcott underwent surgery to have it removed when he was just a few weeks old and subsequently became paraplegic.
The tennis star related the hurtful experience to the Prime Minister’s Religious Discrimination Bill, which he slammed as ‘a c**p bill’.
‘A bill that protects some people from discrimination but indirectly discriminates another group is a crap bill. It needs to go in the bin the best of times,’ he said.
The disability advocate said the bill would protect the people spouting the same harmful rhetoric he had experienced from the preacher.
‘When I saw this bill I thought it somewhat protects some people to talk like that,’ Alcott explained, cheekily adding that it had still been a successful date.
The tennis star (pictured with his partner Chantell Otten) related the hurtful experience to the Prime Minister’s Religious Discrimination Bill which he slammed as ‘a crap bill’
The disability advocate said Mr Morrison’s new bill would protect the people spouting the same harmful rhetoric he had experienced from the preacher as a teenager
As well as being crowned Australian of the Year for 2022, Alcott has received an AO for his service to Paralympic Sport and as a role model to people with a disability, after the tennis ace won all four Grand Slams in 2021.
Mr Morrison said the bill ‘seeks to protect people of faith from discrimination on the basis of their religion in daily life, including work, education, buying goods and services, and accessing accommodation’.
But the bill also contains a controversial ‘statement of belief’ clause to prevent religious people from being sued for comments based on their faith.
Critics says this may allow a doctor to tell a patient they are disabled because they are being punished by god or let a childcare boss tell a single mother that having a child out of wedlock is wrong.
It is becoming increasingly unlikely the laws will pass before the election with Thursday’s Senate debate being shelved.
Debate on the package was expected to be held on Thursday after it passed the lower house in a marathon debate that finished just before 5am.
But a motion required to give approval for the bills to be debated so soon after they were introduced for consideration failed to go through the Senate on Thursday.
As well as being crowned Australian of the Year for 2022 (pictured) Alcott has received an AO for his service to Paralympic Sport and as a role model to people with a disability
The bill expressly bans comments that threaten, intimidate, harass or vilify – but critics fear it will embolden bigots and make it more expensive for victims to take legal action because they would have to make a claim to the Supreme Court instead of at the state level.
Gay and transgender rights activists were concerned the bill would make it easier for religious schools to offend gay and trans students.
To partly tackle this, the Government moved to change a separate law – the Sex Discrimination Act – which allows religious schools to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or relationship status or pregnancy.
The Government initially only wanted to ban the expulsion of gay children but five moderate Liberal MPs crossed the floor to also protect transgender students.
However, the Australian Government Solicitor later warned the amendment which passed could unintentionally increase the risk of discrimination against some groups including transgender children, intersex people and breastfeeding mothers.
Alcott is pictured with the 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame during the 2022 Australian of the Year Awards ceremony in Canberra – who he has described as a ‘good mate’
Both bills are now in the senate, with their futures uncertain. But it’s very unlikely they will pass before the next election in May.
When he introduced the bill, Mr Morrison told Parliament: ‘A Sikh should not be discriminated against because of the turban they wear. Nor a Maronite because of cross around their neck. Nor a Muslim employee who keeps that prayer mat in the bottom drawer at their desk at work.
‘Nor a Hindu couple who are seeking to rent a property. Nor a Jewish school, seeking to employ someone of their faith, if that faith is their preference and the publicly stated policy of their school.
‘This bill ensures people can’t be persecuted for moderately expressing a reasonable belief. What could be fairer than that?’
Mr Morrison (pictured with his wife Jenny) said the bill ‘seeks to protect people of faith from discrimination on the basis of their religion in daily life, including work, education, buying goods and services, and accessing accommodation’
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie (pictured) has since slammed the controversial laws and called the PM ‘selfish’ for prioritising his efforts on them
All states except NSW and SA already have laws banning religious discrimination but there is no federal law.
States are unhappy that their laws are being overridden and there were fears they could launch a legal challenge if the law passed.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has since slammed the controversial laws and called the PM ‘selfish’ for prioritising his efforts on them.
The independent warned the Government that passing the bill would show Tasmanians that ‘it’s all about yourselves’.
‘We are very happy to have the [law] we’ve got down there and you’re overruling it is absolutely disgusting,’ she told the Today Show on Thursday.
‘Not to mention the division that this has caused in the last two weeks in certain parts of society out there. It’s been absolutely disgusting.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk