Margaret Court insists on her award after criticizing her LGBTQ statements

“Because I love to represent my nation,” said the Australian. Court, who has pastor a Pentecostal church that she founded herself for 26 years, said her earlier comments were misrepresented by the media.

The Grand Slam record holder “don’t hate anyone, I love people and I love homosexual people and transgender people. We integrate them into society, we don’t reject anyone,” she said in an interview with the radio station “3AW”.

Court had sparked controversy with statements about sexuality and her support for conversion therapy for homosexuals. Among other things, she called transgender children the “work of the devil” or caused a stir with statements such as “tennis is full of lesbians”.

Court has enraged other tennis greats like Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova in the past when she tried to boycott an airline for advocating same-sex marriage.

After the award of the medal, the Australian TV presenter, among others, spoke up and described Court’s honor as “insensitive”. The Prime Minister of the state of Victoria had described their opinions as “hurtful” and “shameful”.

Medal holder Clara Tuck Meng Soo, a prominent Australian doctor, returned her award. You do not want to be associated with the values ​​that are apparently related, said the doctor.

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