Tennis Great Billie Jean King Has Weighed In On The Margaret Court Arena Controversy
"If I were playing today I would not play there."
Legendary tennis player and LGBTIQ+ icon Billie Jean King has backed a growing push to change the name of Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena in light of Court’s “derogatory” comments about the queer community.
King, a two-time Australian Open winner who is set to present the trophy to the female champion at this year’s tournament, played against Court on a number of occasions in the 1960s and 1970s. But she recently told journalists that Court’s views on homosexuality meant the name of the arena should be changed.
“She says so many derogatory things about my community,” said the 74-year-old King at a press conference ahead of the 2018 Australian Open. “That really went deep in my heart and soul.”
“I personally don’t think she should have her name [on the arena] anymore. If you were talking about indigenous people, Jews or any other people, I can’t imagine the public would want someone to have their name on something.”
King also said that, were she still on tour, she would refuse to play on Margaret Court Arena — although she stopped short of encouraging current pros to do the same. Instead, she said players should “look inside their heart” before making a decision.
Court, who is now a Pentacostal minister in Perth, attracted controversy last year after making several disparaging comments about gay and transgender people. She was condemned by a number of current and former tennis pros, including Martina Navratilova who slammed Court in an open letter suggesting the blood of LGBTIQ+ people would be on her hands.
Musicians who play the venue have also made a point of taking Court to task for her offensive remarks, with Tash Sultana, Sigur Ros, LCD Soundsystem and Grinspoon among the artists who have spoken out.
“When [Court] talked about children of transgenders being from the devil, that put me over the edge,” said King. “Because we’re all God’s children, and we’re all [trying] to be the best we can be.”
King added that she was disappointed that Court would not be attending this year’s tournament, as she had hoped to discuss the issue with her further.
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h/t Fairfax