Martina Navratilova and Andy Murray are
among those who have come out against Australian tennis great
Margaret Court's opposition to LGBT rights.
The 74-year-old Court made headlines
last month when she pledged to stop
flying Qantas over its support for marriage equality. In
defending her views on marriage, Court claimed that transgender
people were influenced by the Devil, tennis is “full of lesbians”
who attempt to influence younger players and most gay people in
America were abused as children.
(Related: Margaret
Court says transgender people influenced by the Devil, tennis full of
lesbians.)
In an open letter, Navratilova, the
first professional athlete to come out in her prime, said that the
Melbourne Park arena named after Court should be renamed.
“It is now clear exactly who Court
is: an amazing tennis player, and a racist and a homophobe,”
Navratilova
wrote. “Her vitriol is not just an opinion. She is actively
trying to keep LGBT people from getting equal rights (note to Court:
we are human beings, too). She is demonizing trans kids and trans
adults everywhere.”
“And now, linking LGBT to Nazis,
communists, the devil? This is not OK. This is in fact sick and it is
dangerous. Kids will suffer more because of this continuous bashing
and stigmatizing of our LGBT community,” she added.
Murray was asked about the controversy
while competing at the French Open.
“I don't see why anyone has a problem
with two people who love each other getting married,” he
told The
Sun. “You know, if it's two men, two women, that's great.
I don't see why it should matter. It's not anyone else's business.”