Attacks on former Australian tennis champion and pastor Margaret Court over her stance against same-sex marriage are “hypocritical”, according to Lyle Shelton, managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby.
Google Maps have sparked controversy by reportedly renaming Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena the Evonne Goolagong Arena on some maps. The moves came after calls for the stadium to be renamed due to Mrs Court’s position against same-sex marriage and in particular her decision to boycott airline Qantas over its support for it.
Mr Shelton said if activists in favour of same-sex marriage were serious about gay rights, they would also be campaigning to have Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium renamed and for Qantas to drop its partnership with Emirates Airlines.
“Same-sex marriage activists have never campaigned against the anti-gay gulf states’ airline Etihad’s name adorning the football stadium at Docklands in Melbourne,” he said in a statement. “They have never called out Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce for his hypocrisy in partnering with Emirates – a state-owned airline from a country where homosexuality is illegal.”
Mr Shelton said Mrs Court was being “maliciously targeted” because of her views on marriage and her stance against programs like the controversial Safe Schools initiative which he said teaches children that their gender is fluid.
“Margaret Court has publicly stated that while disagreeing with same-sex marriage and gender theory, that she loves gay people,” he said. “Australians should not sit back in silence and watch her reputation being perniciously trashed simply because she has expressed concerns shared by millions of Australians about the definition of marriage and children’s education. One has to wonder if she is being targeted because her beliefs are informed by a Christian vision for marriage and gender diversity.”
