Margaret Court targeted by protestors with glitter at Liberal Party fundraiser
(Getty)
Anti-LGBT former tennis champion Margaret Court has been mobbed by protesters at a political fundraiser.
Australia’s ruling Liberal Party outraged LGBT activists when they invited the ex world number one to a major party fundraiser.
Court caused fury after announcing a ‘boycott’ of Qantas Airways because the airline’s gay CEO supports same-sex marriage.
In further rants she likened gay people to Hitler, claimed that homosexuality is an ungodly “lust for the flesh”, that LGBT tendencies in young people were “all the devil”, and that older lesbian tennis stars have ‘converted’ younger players.
The Liberal Party leads the country’s regressive Coalition government, which has blocked all progress on equal marriage and censored LGBT anti-bullying lessons.
Protestors threw glitter and confetti at Liberal fundraisers as they entered the venue.
They also chanted: “Margaret Court you’ve lost the set, your bigotry can’t clear the net” along with the chant, “f**k off Liberals.”
The protest, organised by Anthony Wallace of the Equal Love group, attracted some 100 activists opposing Court.
“Our decision to call a protest against her was cemented when the Liberal Party decided to endorse her comments by allowing her to speak at a party fundraiser event as their special guest speaker,” said Wallace.
“We’ll try to fight every way possible so that we are seen and heard,” he added.
“They should hang their head in shame for allowing this speaker to be a guest at one of their official functions.”
Liberal Party Attorney-General George Brandis defended Court’s appearance at the Liberal Party function in Melbourne, however.
“We can and I do both stand up for the rights of gay people and stand up for the rights of others to express a view that I, myself, personally find distressing,” Brandis said.
Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull leads the Liberal Party
In a radio interview, Court said: “Tennis is full of lesbians… when I was playing there was only a couple there, but those couple that led, that took young ones into parties and things.”
Her comments have been widely condemned.
Senator Janet Rice of the Greens challenged the Liberals over the issue in Parliament today.
She said: “I refer you to recent comments by Margaret Court that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people were ‘all the
Devil’.
“She equated accepting and supporting LGBTIQ young people with ‘what Hitler did, with what communism did’. She said, ‘That’s the whole plot in our nation and the nations of the world to get in the minds of the children.’
“Given how hateful and hurtful these comments are to LGBTIQ people, why is Margaret Court speaking at a Liberal Party fundraiser in Melbourne tonight?”
