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Church Minister Hands Back His Order Of Australia Award Over Margaret Court Honour

Church Minister Hands Back His Order Of Australia Award Over Margaret Court Honour

Several recipients have also returned their award in process.

Jessica Lynch

Jessica Lynch

Another recipient of the Order of Australia Medal has given back their award in protest due to tennis legend Margaret Court receiving Australia's highest civilian honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia.

Uniting Church Minister Alistair Macrae said after hearing Court was getting the honour, he felt 'compelled' to return the prestigious award after receiving it in 2017 for his contribution to the church and his community.

"Her public comments in relation to LGBTI people - I won't repeat them here - are damaging to significant parts of our community, and by no means represent the views of many Christians," Macrae wrote in an opinion piece for The Age.

"I wonder what prompted the move to upgrade her and I wonder at the naivete (at best) of the committee who seem to be able to make this separation, apparently unaware of the hurt it will cause.

"Religious faith has private as well as public ethical dimensions."

Margaret Court in 1970. Image:
Creative Commons

Despite Court's esteemed contribution to tennis over several decades, her sporting prowess has been eclipsed by several homophobic comments made in recent times.

Among these included an incident from 2012, in which Court made some controversial statements against openly gay tennis players Billie Jean King, Rennae Stubbs and Martina Navratilova.

The tennis legend continued to sour some people's image of her when she expressed her opposition to same-sex marriage in Australia during the plebiscite.

She announced she would boycott Qantas because of the company's open support for LGBTQIA+ people.

Macrae continued to explain his reasons for handing back the award, saying: "As a minister and theologian, I am aware that bad theology kills people.

"Bad theology underpinned the racist apartheid regime in South Africa. Bad theology supported Hitler's racist ideology and the evil it produced.

Peter Ellis (Creative Commons)

"Bad theology underpinned or failed to recognise the racist assumptions behind the destructive program of colonisation not least in this land. Bad theology continues to alienate and oppress sexual minorities.

"The upgrading of Mrs Court's award will rub salt into these wounds."

The minister hasn't been the only one to take action in protest of Court's award, with trans doctor Clara Tuck Meng Soo making the decision to return her 2016 award in light of the events.

"Upon seeing this news, I contacted the office of the Governor-General to give notice that I would be returning my medal as a protest against Court's award," she said.

"By giving this promotion to her now, the council is sending a strong signal that discrimination and prejudice are not only tolerated but honoured in our Australian community.

"As someone who has lived as a gay man and now as a transgender woman, I am aware of just how deeply hurtful Court's outbursts can be to my community."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia