Freedom of speech underpins our enlightened world

So Margaret Court says tennis is full of lesbians and she has concerns over the welfare of younger players.

Let's not kid ourselves, there are variations on human sexuality wherever it appears and just as there was a Rolf Harris and his ilk at work in the world more commonly, or there was when attitudes were different, so too there are those in the world of homosexuality and lesbianism who overstep the mark and who groom and recruit.

Although in this day and age, as was the case when Harris was doing what he did, social attitudes not so much support such behaviour as refuse to acknowledge it might exist.

Court may well have more reasons to be concerned than even she will admit in public. What exempts some sexual proclivities from excesses like paedophilia? Human beings are human beings and when it comes to sex, less rational on many counts, whatever their sexual tastes might be.

But, in general, yes she may be over-reacting but she is a fundamentalist Christian so it is hardly likely to be a surprising view.

And now some of those lesbian tennis players and their supporters, are calling for Margaret Court Arena to be renamed because she does not support same-sex marriage?

Of course she doesn't. It runs counter to teaching in most religions. Same-sex couples can marry, in civil unions, but not in religious marriages and that won't change. Why should it?

Was the Arena named because of her views, which have now changed, or because of her brilliance as a tennis player? Methinks the latter. What levels of idiocy do we reach when censorship like this is unleashed on the world?

What is dangerous is seeking to punish people for expressing a different view. Sure the view might be silly, ill-informed, prejudiced, bigoted, unenlightened, or it might not, but freedom of speech is a fragile right and needs to be protected.

To paraphrase the saying:

I defend to my death your right to say what you think even if I disagree with you entirely.

Such a freedom is easily lost and difficult to win back. We betray it at our peril.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-26/calls-for-margaret-court-arena-name-change-after-qantas-boycott/8560790