Margaret Court’s Latest Homophobic BS Inspires Push To Rename The Arena

Margaret Court, who was extremely good at hitting balls across a net once upon a time, penned an open letter to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, announcing her boycott of the airline thanks to its support of marriage equality.

“As you will know I have represented Australia many times and have the proud record of never losing a tennis match while playing for my country,” she wrote, knowing that really good sports people in this country are excused of all kinds of rank behaviour. “I am disappointed that Qantas has become an active promoter for same-sex marriage.”

Margaret Court says she’ll no longer fly @Qantas because of Alan Joyce’s advocacy of same-sex marriage #auspol pic.twitter.com/Ll5vs8e4c3

— Jane Norman (@janeenorman) May 25, 2017

It’s not the first time she’s used her platform to peddle this crap, and unfortunately it won’t be the last, but the upside is that people are now once again calling for the famous Margaret Court Arena to be renamed.

@janeenorman @lanesainty @Qantas Cool. I will now boycott @TennisAustralia and all sponsors until the Melbourne stadium is renamed.

— Juan Benno (@WB34) May 25, 2017

One of the people leading the charge is Professor Kerryn Phelps, an LGBTQIA advocate and Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney.

She’s been calling for the arena to be renamed for years, tweeting a link to a piece about this very issue from 2012 and urging Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to consider.

Flashback to 2012: Kerryn Phelps wants Margaret Court’s name cut from Melbourne Park. How about it @DanielAndrewsMP https://t.co/EESYiv72dE

— Prof Kerryn Phelps (@drkerrynphelps) May 25, 2017

Others have similar ideas.

let’s rename it Tennis Court Arena

— louise menchies (@dunkingdad) May 25, 2017

Now is a really good time to change Margaret Court Arena to Tina Arena Arena

— jocelyn (@jocelynseip) May 25, 2017

Elsewhere, fellow Aussie tennis champ Casey Dellacqua – who has two children with her wife Amanda Judd – hit back at Court’s obtuse commentary.

“Margaret. Enough is enough,” she wrote on Twitter, accompanied with evidence of Court having a big ol’ sook at the news of the birth of Dellacqua’s first child in 2013.

Margaret. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/Cl1DtC4aSL

— caseydellacqua (@caseydellacqua) May 25, 2017

People are also pointing out that with Australia’s limited number of airline options, Court will probably have quite a hard time flying in Australia at all. Good. 

I guess now that Margaret Court is refusing to fly Qantas over #marriageequality she’ll just fly Virgin the- oh. pic.twitter.com/rssI2q0Xo3

— Patrick Stokes (@patstokes) May 25, 2017

Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty.