Andrew Bolt: Margaret Court deserves her Australia Day honours

Journalists would rather feed the hatred against Margaret Court by misquoting her than highlight her incredible charity work.

They think they’re more moral. But the people trashing Margaret Court are much nastier.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last week said he was appalled Court would on Australia Day be made a Companion of the Order of Australia.

Just why Court, winner of a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, is getting our highest honour is yet to be announced, but ignorance didn’t stop Andrews.

He said she didn’t deserve it because she had “hateful” opinions about gays, lesbians and transsexuals that had “cost lives”.

Actually, her opinions have killed no one. Andrews, however, cost 800 lives by bungling Victoria’s quarantine hotels.

But these days you’re judged less by what you do than by what you say. Poseurs rule.

So do hypocrites. Twitter activists — claiming to be outraged by Court’s rudeness — were infinitely ruder, calling her “parasitic”, “a bigot”, a “nut job”, “shitty”, “mad”, “trash”, a “b---h”, “pig”, “horrific” and “sick”.

Margaret Court deserves her Australia Day honours.

Journalists fed the rage by misquoting her. Several news outlets falsely claimed she’d called transgender children “the work of the devil”.

In fact, Court, now a Pentecostal minister, was criticising radical preaching in schools of “gender fluidity”: “Even that LGBT and the schools — it’s of the devil, it’s not of God. And when children are making the decision at seven or eight years of age to change their sex …

“No, just read the first two chapters of Genesis; that’s all I say. Male and female.”

True, Court has said things with which I, a non-Christian, disagree. She said homosexuality is a choice. But should that disqualify her from public awards?

Apparently so, with federal Labor MP Tim Watts claiming Court’s honour was more an attempt “to divide Australians than to celebrate service”.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews joined the bandwagon of hate aimed at Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

More ignorance. When it comes to service — not just lip service — Court does far more than Watts.

The church she founded in Perth was giving 1500 poor families food parcels each fortnight until the coronavirus hit.

Now it helps 4000, with milk, cereal, chicken, beef, vegetables and dry food like rice or pasta. It also hands out free clothes.

Importantly, and unlike her cancel culture critics, Court does not exclude people with whom she disagrees — gay or transgender, her charity will help you.

Margaret Court is wrong about gays. But her practical good makes her worth a hundred of her haters. Give her a medal.