Australian tennis champion Margaret Court has called out supporters of same-sex marriage for attempting to ruin all major holidays, including Christmas.
The 24 Grand Slam-winning extraordinaire admitted that advocates for the upcoming postal vote only hoped for equal marriage because they ‘wanted to destroy it.’
‘There will be no Mother’s Day, there will be no Father’s Day, there will be no Easter, there will be no Christmas,’ the 74-year-old said according to The Advocate.
‘There will be no Mother’s Day, there will be no Father’s Day, there will be no Easter, there will be no Christmas,’ she said according to The Advocate (Margaret Court pictured)
Back in time: The comments come as the former sporting great was removed as a patron of the Cottesloe Tennis Club in Perth after voicing several anti-LGBT opinions (Margaret Court pictured)
The comments come as the former sporting great was removed as a patron of the Cottesloe Tennis Club in Perth after voicing several anti-LGBT opinions.
The president of the tennis club, Ian Hutton, did come forward to confirm that Court’s views where part of the decision to have her ousted but felt it was the right move based on some of the events she would need to attend in her position.
Court, who now works as a Pentecostal minister, has been adamant that marriage and having children are life stages reserved for a man and woman since she publicly took aim at tennis Casey Dellacqua and her family.
Dellacqua is pictured (left) with her partner Amanda Judd (right) and their two children Andie and Blake
Dellacqua (back) is pictured with her partner Amanda Judd and their baby Andie in April last year
In a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, Court used scare quotes to say she saw nothing wrong with Dellacqua ‘or her “partner”,’ but that their baby with two mothers shouldn’t have been ‘deprived of her father.’
Dellacqua returned serve by tweeting: ‘Margaret. Enough is enough.’
The tennis pro – who has two children in an openly gay relationship with former touch football champion Amanda Judd – said she was ‘hurt’ by the comments because she knows Court on and off the court.
The tennis pro – who has two children in an openly gay relationship with former touch football champion Amanda Judd – said she was ‘hurt’ by the comments because she knows Court on and off the court
Court (far right) also had words for Martina Navratilova (second from the left) following comments she made in an open letter to the tennis legend, writing: ‘It is now clear exactly who Court is: an amazing tennis player, and a racist and a homophobe.’
Court also had words for Martina Navratilova following comments she made in an open letter to the tennis legend, writing: ‘It is now clear exactly who Court is: an amazing tennis player, and a racist and a homophobe.’
In defense of her same-sex marriage stance Court said: ‘I think marriage is so important and children are so important. My thing is just about the definition of marriage.
Navratilova went so far as to urge the operators of Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena, which hosts the Australian Open, to change the name.
Billie Jean King, who is also a lesbian tennis star, weighed in by saying that Court’s remarks about LGBT people have been ‘hurtful’ but that she did not believe the arena name should be changed.