Australian tennis legend Margaret Court has said transgender children are the work of the devil and that the gay lobby are bullies.
Court, 74, made headlines last week when she announced that she intended to boycott Qantas Airlines in the future because of its public stance in support of gay marriage.
On Monday, she took part in an interview with the Neil Johnson on the 20Twenty Vision Christian Radio program.
Talking about transgender children, she said that was, ‘That’s all the devil … that’s what Hitler did and that is what communism did… it got the mind of the children.’
She also said that transgender children are the product of parents who ‘don’t care.’
‘If you haven’t got parents who bring you up that way and you have parents that don’t care, and you’re hurt and offended if somebody’s saying something to you, your child can just start to think “Well maybe I am a girl”, when they’re a boy, or “Maybe I’m a boy and I’m a girl”.’
Tennis ‘full of lesbians’
She went on to say that tennis was now ‘full of lesbians.’
‘Even when I was playing there was only a couple there, but those couple that led, that took young ones into parties and things… because they like to be around heroes.’
Court did say she ‘had nothing against’ gay people, but that ‘a child needs a mother and a father.’
Her comments have been denounced by campaigners for same-sex marriage – including a prominent Anglican Archdeacon.
The Venerable Rod Bower of the NSW Central Coast said in a statement, ‘Margaret Court does not reflect the views of 95% of Australian Christians who, frankly, would be appalled at these comments.
‘The majority of Australian Christians support marriage equality, are frustrated that the Government has not yet allowed a free vote on this basic issue of fairness and inclusion.
‘Most of us know an LGBTI Australian and we want to celebrate their lives and relationships and it’s time the Government got on with the job.’
His stance was echoed by Rodney Croome, spokesperson for marriage equality group Just.equal.
‘Margaret Court’s comments will shock many Australians and discredit the movement against marriage equality,’ said Croome in a statement.
‘I call on Australia’s faith leaders, particularly those who have said the marriage equality debate should be conducted more respectfully, to join Archdeacon Bower in repudiating Margaret Court’s statements.
‘Mrs Court has every right to hold her views but fair-minded Australians have an equal right to be critical of those views, to point out the damage they cause and to question their place in contemporary Australia.
‘That is what free speech is all about.’
