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When will bigots quit bullying Margaret Court?

By Spencer Gear - posted Wednesday, 27 January 2021


I'm a bigot when it comes to going to the doctor when blood is seeping through my urine. I discriminate at elections. I vote for the party whose values most consistently harmonise with my Christian world view. I will not support a party that murders unborn children and calls it a mother's choice and does not make this a criminal offense.

In Australia, it is now illegal to kill, trap, poison or interfere with wedge-tailed eagles in any way. "In Queensland waters all whales, dolphins, dugong, seals, sea lions, marine turtles and threatened sharks are protected under the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld) and relevant subordinate legislation."

Aren't these bigoted, discriminatory actions against this wildlife? Of course it is in order to protect these animals. However, it's not a criminal offence to slaughter unborn children in the womb. When will Australian governments grapple with the legalised murder they endorse?

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Since a bigot is one who "is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion," by definition that makes Dan Andrews a bigot towards someone who is an outspoken supporter of the Bible's view. For 2,000 years this has been taught by the Christian church but when Margaret Court dares to be faithful to her God-given commission, she is called out as a bigot by Daniel Andrews.

When will Dan Andrews also get a handle on how discriminatory his words are towards Margaret Court that should be considered persecution or bullying of Mrs Court? 7Sport (23 Jan 2021) had the headline, "Margaret Court says she's being 'bullied' and it's time for critics to stop."

"Bullying" refers to a "person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable" (OED 2021. s.v. "bully"). The OED gives synonyms of bully as persecutor, oppressor, tyrant, tormentor, browbeater, intimidator, coercer, and subjugator. Margaret Court considers she is being bullied and persecuted. By these definitions, that's the truth. The media, some tennis players, and a Premier such as Daniel Andrews have bullied, persecuted and browbeaten Margaret Court. It is time for these people to own up to their bullying and persecution tactics and quit doing them immediately.

Let's blackmail Margaret Court!

Two factors need to be noted before I comment on this example. "She" is a transgender person and "she" is an activist who could not tolerate a person who supported a biblical Christian's view of sexuality and marriage. "She" did not use the language of anything to do with a Christian world view.

How would you react to the title of this article? "Canberra doctor hands back OAM in protest against Margaret Court's Australia Day honour" (SBS News, 24 January 2021)?

The essence of the story relates to Dr Clara Tuck Meng Soo AO, who was recognised in 2016 for her work as a medical practitioner with LGBTIQ+ and HIV positive communities. The issue that is causing the furore in 2021 is that Dr Soo is handing back her AO because the decision to award Australia's highest honour to Margaret Court is made to a person who has made comments that are "disparaging of same-sex relationships and transgender people" and that has been "very distressing."

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Dr Soo continued:

If the honour awards people like Margaret Court, it is sending a message to the community that is okay to make hateful, derogatory comments about disadvantaged segments of the community…. And I felt that if I actually retained my award, I would be condoning that system.

It must be noted that Dr Soo is discriminatory towards Margaret Court's Christian world view. Dr Soo let us peer into her agenda. She told SBS News, "I may also add that I have spent most of my adult life as a gay man before my gender transition to a woman in 2018. Therefore, have both professional experience as well as lived experience of the communities that Mrs Margaret Court makes these derogatory and hurtful remarks about."

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About the Author

Spencer Gear PhD (University of Pretoria, South Africa) is a retired counselling manager, independent researcher, retired minister of the The Christian & Missionary Alliance of Australia, and freelance writer living in Brisbane Qld, Australia.

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