THE Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed calls to rename Margaret Court Arena after the tennis ace blasted Qantas over same-sex marriage.
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Debate about the stadium’s moniker flared after Court wrote a letter to The West Australian stating she would no longer fly Qantas because of its chief executive’s push for gay wedlock.
Mr Turnbull told radio’s Neil Mitchell that the arena reflected the Albury-born Wimbledon champion’s tennis achievements.
"Whatever people may think of Margaret Court's views about gay marriage - and she is entitled to have them and she is entitled to fly on whatever airline she likes or not - but she is one of the all time greats and the Margaret Court Arena celebrates Margaret Court the tennis player," Mr Turnbull said.
"She is one of the greatest of greats of tennis and that's why the arena is named after her."
The co-convener of Border LGBTIQ group Hume Phoenix, Toni Johnson, held a personal protest against Court’s attitude at a Baranduda street on Friday morning.
She tweeted a selfie of herself below the sign for Margaret Court Drive entwined in rainbow bunting.
It read: “Here Margaret Court, How Much more Rainbow can You get! #margaretcourt #marriageequality #justequal #humephoenix.”
“It was just my little protest,” Ms Johnson said.
“I know a rainbow family that live in her street in Baranduda.”
Tennis pro Casey Dellacqua, who attended the wedding of Court’s nephew’s daughter in Albury in 2008 and is a lesbian, also tweeted against the religious minister.
"Margaret. Enough is enough," Dellacqua wrote.