THE awarding of Australia’s highest honour to tennis legend Margaret Court has been mired in controversy after other recipients protested her inclusion over her stance towards same-sex marriage.
Court, one of the world’s most accomplished tennis players, was yesterday elevated from her previous appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) to a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).
But this has triggered outrage among some progressives because, as a Christian, Court holds religious views about homosexuality that has led her to be outspoken about her unsupportive stance towards same-sex marriage.
- Christian pastor and tennis great awarded Companion of the Order of Australia.
- Left calls her a bigot and says she is undeserving of Australia Day honour.
- ABC personality and a transgender activist hand back their medals in protest.
Former ABC journalist Kerry O’Brien, who had been nominated for an AO in the 2021 honours, told NITV that he had chosen to refuse his Australia Day honour because he believes that Court’s views were “prejudicial” and “disrespectful” to many people.
However, O’Brien was quick to say it was Ms Court’s right to express her views, as long as they are not damaging and hurtful to others.
O’Brien’s move comes after transgender Canberra doctor Clara Tuck Meng Soo also handed back her Order of Australia medal, awarded in 2016, over Court’s appointment.
Labor politicians have also strongly criticised Ms Court’s award, including Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Andrews on January 22 wrote on Twitter that he believes Ms Court’s views are “disgraceful” and “bigoted” and that she was not deserving of the award.
Last week Ms Court, who is a Pentecostal minister, defended her religious views.
“All my life I’ve had those views and I was just saying what the Bible says,” she said. “I should always be able to say my views biblically, being a pastor and helping people with marriages and family. And I’ll never change my views.”
“I have nothing against people – I love the people. We have them come into our community services, all kinds – whether they’re gay, transgender, whatever they are,” Court said. “We never turn a person away, and I think it’s been tried to be made out that I’m somebody that I’m not really. And I think that is very sad.”
DIVERSE
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said last week that the honours system recognised Australians from across the full spectrum of achievement.
“These awards are an annual reminder of just what Australians can do and achieve,” Mr Morrison said.
He said the Australia Day award nominees are as diverse and different as the land they are drawn from and“share a yearning to make a good Australia an even better Australia”.
One of the people joining Court in receiving an AC is Malcolm Turnbull, the former prime minister whose government legalised same-sex marriage in 2017.
While the focus has been on Court’s views off the court, her record of 24 grand slam singles titles remains unequalled by any man or woman.
The Australia Day awards recognised 844 people across a wide range of fields spanning politics, sport, arts, medicine, education, business and community service.
The list includes the first recipients being recognised for their efforts during the Black Summer bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 43 per cent of awards were for outstanding service or achievement in the community.PC
DAN-DAN has now become such an irrelevancy – it’s best to just ignore him!
HOWEVER, KERRY’S CRITICISMS of Margaret are weird considering he sent his son to a Jesuit School and therefore you’d think he’d have respect for the teachings of Christ and the Bible. But relax everyone as Ms. Court follows Christ’s example of loving everyone through her Charitable Ministry. So then, perhaps Kerry remembered that these awards emanate from the Governor General, Her Majesty’s representative here in Australia? So – a no-no for a dyed-in-the-wool ABC Leftie!
However, RABID REPUBLICAN MALCOLM obviously had no such qualms; he must have forgotten the Awards’ Royal connection!
“One of the people joining Court in receiving an AC is Malcolm Turnbull […]”
I guess that Malcolm can view that as his consolation prize for having been an abject failure as a politician; perhaps it will ease his pain at being so roundly and widely despised.
Margaret Court is being recognised for her tennis achievements and nothing more. Double fault, Dan.
Since when is it acceptable for an elected representative to verbally castigate a fellow citizen simply because she holds a contrary view on a religious or social issue? I refer, of course, to Daniel Andrews who so roundly criticised the awarding of a further Australia Day honour to former tennis champion Margaret Court. The Premier should be mindful that many Australians support the right of an individual to speak freely without being subjected to such abuse and regard such behaviour as petulant, juvenile and without merit.