tennis

Court's comments stir controversy at Aussie Open

Published Jan. 13, 2012 11:48 a.m. ET

foxsports

Nearly 40 years after she won the last of her 11 Australian Open singles titles, Margaret Court is back in the news at Melbourne Park for her opposition to gay marriage.

Her stance has spurred the creation of a Facebook group, ''Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena,'' which is urging spectators to display rainbow-colored gay pride banners at the show court that bears her name during the Australian Open, which begins Monday.

''Politically correct education has masterfully escorted homosexuality out from behind closed doors, into the community openly and now is aggressively demanding marriage rights that are not theirs to take,'' the 69-year-old Court said in a December interview with The West Australian in Perth, where she lives.

''The fact that the homosexual cry is, `We can't help it, as we were born this way,' as the cause behind their own personal choice is cause for concern,'' said Court, who became a Pentecostal minister in the 1990s.

Rennae Stubbs, an Australian who has won four Grand Slam doubles titles, backs fans who want to show their support for gay rights at Margaret Court Arena.

''Margaret has said her feelings and it's public, and it has leverage,'' said Stubbs, who has been open about her homosexuality. ''So I think this is the only way the people feel that they can be heard, through a sign of solidarity. As long as it (a protest) is done tastefully, that's the most important thing for me.''

Court's stance has put her at odds with former WTA Tour stars Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.

Navratilova told TennisChannel.com that ''seems to me a lot of people have evolved, as has the Bible. Unfortunately, Margaret Court has not. ... Her myopic view is truly frightening as well as damaging to the thousands of children already living in same-gender families.''

Kerryn Phelps, former president of the Australian Medical Association and one of Australia's most influential gay spokeswomen, has called on the Victoria state government and Tennis Australia to drop Court's name from the 6,000-seat show court arena named in her honor.

''Time to rename Margaret Court Arena,'' Phelps tweeted this week.

Tennis Australia said in a statement that although it respects Court's playing record as ''second to none ... her personal views are her own, and are definitely not shared by Tennis Australia.''

''Like the WTA, we believe that everyone should be treated equally and fairly. ... TA does not support any view that contravenes these basic human rights.''

Court won her last Australian Open title in 1973.

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