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Margaret Court, eh? Nothing like a God-bothering old battle-axe to stir up the Twitters. Like Grampa Simpson yelling at a cloud, Margaret Court says she won’t fly Qantas ever again because the CEO, Alan Joyce, says Qantas is in favour of same-sex marriage.
The very idea. Does not the Bible say … something about it?
Yes, it does. It says many things, the Holy Bible, and people pluck all manner of malarkey out of it to suit themselves.
Koran’s the same. And whatever book Buddhists and Hindus and Scientologists read there’d be stuff in there people can pluck out to suit their own value system.
And so Margaret Court will no longer fly Qantas. And Jetstar, presumably. And Virgin, because Richard Branson.
Which leaves Tiger Air and Murray’s Coaches, and the train and the Manly Ferry. But it’s hard to see any passenger carrier going with Margaret on this one.
Indeed the very Twitter account of Margaret Court Arena distanced itself – herself? – from Margaret Court’s sentiments, telling the Twittersphere Margaret Court Arena remains a place committed to embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, and so on.
(Wikimedia Commons/DestinationAlan)
And here we are.
And I will bet you a donut against one hundred of your dollars that this stirs up people saying Margaret Court should be able to say what she wants, that People Like Me should be more tolerant of her views.
Now, Margaret can say whatever she likes. Such is the strength of our Democracy.
People can say pretty much whatever they like. And they’ll cop a heap of shit for it if people disagree. That girl on the ABC would tell you that.
So Margaret Court is welcome to her opinion, and as a high-profile Wimbledon champion her words carry weight.
But allow me to retort.
And say this: Margaret will be dead one day and gay people will get married on Margaret Court Arena.
Same-sex marriage will happen in Australia, we aren’t going to remain the only backward-arsed nation-state in the western world. It will happen. People want it. It’s right. It’s fair. We are a nation of the Fair Go.
And Margaret will be up in Heaven, presumably, looking down and tut-tutting, and wondering how God could let it be.
The big questions here on The Roar sports page, people.
Anyway, here we are, again, amid calls for Margaret Court Arena to be renamed. And… I dunno… for this?
Are we going to rename the Bradman Stand because The Don didn’t go much on Catholics?
Or the Lillee-Marsh Stand because the boys had a bet on England in a Test against Australia they were playing in?
Probably we are not. Be a slippery old slope.
Anyway – I’ve always thought they should rename Margaret Court Arena but not because Margaret Court’s a bigoted old bible-thumper.
No – I reckon call Margaret Court Arena should be called Margaret Court. “And now on Margaret Court, please welcome Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova…”.
And don’t stop at Margaret Court. Rename the whole joint. Call the footbridge over the Yarra the Todd Woodbridge.
Rename the Yarra itself the Mark Woodfjord.
Inside the greater arena and people could extract money from Pat Cash Machines.
I’m here all week. Try the veal.
And don’t stop at tennis. Rename the boundary up at the Gabba the Allan Border.
Win the Sheffield Shield and crack the Dougie Bollinger.
Play footy on Craig Field.
And so on.
Anyway. Margaret? Good luck to you. And go well. And hope you find everything you need in Heaven.
And while you’re an Earthling, and however you get around on your “extensive travelling” I hope the owners of said conveyance don’t believe in same-sex marriage.
Good luck with that one.
Maybe buy a boat.