Former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons has called on Margaret Court Arena to be renamed after the tennis legend’s public comments against gay marriage.

FitzSimons slammed Margaret Court in his piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fitzy Smashes Court

“Does Melbourne Park really want to have an arena named after someone who stands so firmly against such inclusiveness, who is becoming a byword for bigot?”

“Personally, I know of no finer person, no more generous and inclusive than Evonne Goolagong-Cawley. I run into her about once a year in airports around Australia and she is always on her way to do something to help someone. How bout the Evonne Goolagong Arena, as a name that tennis can be proud to put up in lights?”

FitzSimons comments came off the back of Margaret Court publicly criticising Qantas for their support of gay marriage.

Court’s Comments

“I am disappointed that Qantas has become an active promoter for same sex marriage,” Ms Court said in a piece published in The West Australian on Thursday.

“I believe in marriage as a union between a man and a woman as stated in the Bible. Your statement leaves me no option but to use other airlines where possible for my extensive travelling.”

The Melbourne and Olympic Parks PR team are distancing themselves from Court’s comments saying they are “committed to embracing equality, diversity, and inclusion.”

Change Margaret Court Arena or change the Marriage Act?

It is certainly an interesting situation. I think FitzSimons makes a great point. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley has done phenomenal things for tennis and for our nation as a whole. It would be a great tribute to have a stadium named after her. But would Evonne want Margaret Court Arena named after her under these circumstances? I doubt it.

Let’s not forget that we live in a country where same-sex couples are still not allowed to get married. As confronting as Court’s comments are to some, at the end of the day she is entitled to her opinion.

Avoiding the real issue

After all these years we still haven’t given same sex marriage the green light in Australia. So in reality our nation’s well-paid politicians and law makers really aren’t that much better than Court when it comes to this issue. Instead of worrying about the name of a tennis arena, our nation and its decision makers have to step out of the dark ages and allow same sex marriage. That would do a whole lot more for our society than slapping a new name on the side of a concrete stadium.

by Michael T. Lynch – contributor