Volume 10, Issue 1-2

Abstract

At the 2012 Australian Open tennis tournament, fans created a social movement in response to Margaret Court’s stance against marriage equality that she publicly stated in December 2011. ‘Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena’ was a loosely formed collective of people who used a Facebook page to organize. Court, now a fundamentalist minister with her own church, has, like so many fundamentalist Christians, likened homosexuality with sin. The actions of the ‘Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena’ group primarily involved being spectators at the Australian Open, in Margaret Court Arena, while waving or being adorned in rainbow flags. The enthusiasm and actions from this group compelled Laura Robson and Martina Navratilova to wear a rainbow headband and rainbow-adorned polo shirt, respectively, during their matches, and compelled Court and Navratilova to post full-page responses in the Melbourne newspaper. The friction between Court, Navratilova and Billie Jean King has its origins in the 1960s. The historical underpinnings of this social movement include the squabbles between Billie Jean King, and later Martina Navratilova, lesbian icons of women’s tennis, and Margaret Court, a top player who was a contemporary of King.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/iscc.10.1-2.71_1
2019-07-01
2024-03-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. A Life of Victory ( 2007– present , Australia:: Australian Christian Channel;).
  2. Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay Law Reform) Act 2002 ( 2002), https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.nsf/main_mrtitle_2249_homepage.html. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  3. Anon. ( 2012;), ‘ Former champ Court stirs controversy ahead of Aussie Open. ’, CBS Sports;, 13 January, http://www.cbssports.com/tennis/story/16847893/former-champ-court-stirs-controversy-ahead-of-aussie-open. Accessed 6 February 2012.
  4. Antunovic, Dunja, and Hardin, Marie. ( 2012;), ‘ Activism in women’s sports blogs: Fandom and feminist potential. ’, International Journal of Sport Communication, 5:3, pp. 30522.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Associated Press ( 1990;), ‘ Court calls Navratilova poor role model. ’, Los Angeles Times, 11 July, http://articles.latimes.com/1990-07-11/sports/sp-420_1_poor-role. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Australian Christian Lobby ( 2012;), ‘ Rev. Dr. Margaret Court nominated as a national living treasure. ’, 27 January, http://www.acl.org.au/2012/01/rev-dr-margaret-court-nominated-as-a-national-living-treasure/. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  7. Boyd, Josh. ( 2000;), ‘ Selling home: Corporate stadium names and the destruction of commemoration. ’, Journal of Applied Communication Research, 28:4, pp. 33046.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Bradshaw, Emily. ( 2011;), ‘ Rant time – Margaret Court, out dated and over rated. ’, WTA Tour Insights , 19 June, http://wtatourinsight.blogspot.com/2011/06/rant-time-margaret-cout-out-dated-and.html. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  9. Brown, Luke. ( 2017;), ‘ Margaret Court claims tennis is “full of lesbians” and compares LGBT people to “Hitler” and “communists”. ’, The Independent, 31 May, http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/margaret-court-lgbt-rights-tennis-lesbians-french-open-australian-a7765041.html. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Butterworth, Michael L.. ( 2014;), ‘ Public memorialization in the stadium: Mediated sport, the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the illusion of democracy. ’, Communication & Sport, 2:3, pp. 20324.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Collins, Patricia H.. ( 1990), Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment, , 2nd ed.., New York:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Court, Margaret S.. ( 1975), Court on Court: A Life in Tennis, London:: W.H. Allen;.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Court, Margaret S.. ( 2012;), ‘ Priority is to protect marriage. ’, Herald Sun;, 24 January, http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/priority-is-to-protect-marriage/story-e6frfhqf-1226252853390. Accessed 14 May 2018.
  14. Creedence Clearwater Revival ( 1968), Proud Mary, 7” , San Francisco:: Fantasy;.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Davis-Delano, Laurel R., and Crosset, Todd. ( 2008;), ‘ Using social movement theory to study outcomes in sport-related social movements. ’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 43:2, pp. 11534.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Dellacqua, Casey(@caseydellacqua) ( 2017a;), ‘ Margaret. Enough is enough. ’, Twitter;, 25 May, https://twitter.com/caseydellacqua/status/867855363760107522. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  17. Dellacqua, Casey(@caseydellacqua) ( 2017b;), ‘ ROLAND GARROS. May 31, 2017. Casey Dellacqua. Ashleigh Barty. ’, ASAP Sports Transcripts;, 31 May, http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=130891. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  18. Dimitrov, Roumen. ( 2008;), ‘ Gender violence, fan activism and public relations in sport: The case of “footy fans against sexual assault”. ’, Public Relations Review, 34:2, pp. 9098.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Ginn, Leighton. ( 2012;), ‘ King respects Court, disagrees adamantly with comments. ’, USA Today, 17 January, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2012-01-17/billie-jean-king-talks-about-margaret-court-and-comments-about-gay-marriage/52623894/1. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Greyhound Australia (@Greyound_Oz) ( 2017;), ‘ Looks like we are being added to the boycott list #WeSupportMarriageEquality. ’, Twitter;, 25 May, https://twitter.com/Greyhound_Oz/status/867874694745120768. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  21. Hogenkamp, Richel. ( 2017;), ‘ ROLAND GARROS. May 29, 2017. Richel Hogenkamp. ’, ASAP Sports Transcripts;, 29 May, http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=130943. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  22. King, Billie J.. ( 1974), Billie Jean, New York:: Harper & Row;.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Kuznetsova, Svetlana. ( 2014), personal communication , 28 July.
  24. Lacy, Bridget. ( 2011;), ‘ Legend condemns gay marriage. ’, The West Australian, 6 December, https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/legend-condemns-gay-marriage-ng-ya-340797. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. LeGrand, Chip. ( 2012;), ‘ Gays won’t drive me from the Open, says Margaret Court. ’, The Australian, 11 January, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/gays-wont-drive-me-from-open/story-e6frg6nf-1226242140162. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Levinson, Sanford. ( 1994;), ‘ They whisper: Reflections on flags, monuments, and state holidays, and the construction of social meaning in a multicultural society. ’, Chicago-Kent Law Review, 70:3, pp. 1079119.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Maloney, Shane, and Grosz, Chris. ( 2009;), ‘ Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova. ’, The Monthly: Australian Politics, Society and Culture, December 2009–January 2010, http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2009/december/1295831572/shane-maloney/margaret-court-and-martina-navratilova. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Marriage Amendment Bill 2012 [and] Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2012 [and] Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010 ( 2012), https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1112a/12bd158. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  29. Mitchell, Kevin. ( 2012;), ‘ Laura Robson’s gay rights stance reignites equality controversy. ’, The Guardian, 16 January, http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jan/16/laura-robson-gay-rights-controversy. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Muguruza, Garbiñe. ( 2017;), ‘ ROLAND GARROS. May 31, 2017. Garbine Muguruza. ’, ASAP Sports Transcripts;, 31 May, http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=130880. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  31. Murray, Andy. ( 2017;), ‘ ROLAND GARROS. May 30, 2017. Andy Murray. ’, ASAP Sports Transcripts;, 30 May, http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=130900. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  32. Nash, Rex. ( 2001;), ‘ English football fan groups in the 1990s: Class, representation and fan power. ’, Soccer and Society, 2:1, pp. 3958.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. National Trust of Australia ( 2012;), ‘ National living treasures. ’, http://web.archive.org/web/20140919173538/http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/nsw/NationalLivingTreasures. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  34. Navratilova, Martina. ( 2012a;), ‘ AUSTRALIAN OPEN. January 23, 2012. Martina Navratilova. ’, ASAP Sports Transcripts;, 23 January, http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=77140. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  35. Navratilova, Martina. ( 2012b;), ‘ Don’t deny us same-sex marriage laws, says Martina Navratilova. ’, Herald Sun;, 26 January, http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/dont-deny-us-same-sex-marraige-laws-says-martina-navratilova/story-fn6bn88w-1226254744774. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  36. Navratilova, Martina. ( 2014;), ‘ There was no love lost between them, Margaret didn’t really do anything of note to help the tour then. ’, Twitter;, 14 May, https://twitter.com/martina/status/466613098749886464. Accessed 15 May 2012.
  37. Newburrie, James. ( 2012;), ‘ Change the name of the Margaret Court Arena. ’, Change.org;, https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/tennis-australia-change-the-name-of-the-margaret-court-arena. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  38. Olick, Jeffrey K.. ( 2007), The Politics of Regret: On Collective Memory and Historical Responsibility, New York:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Plymire, Darcy C., and Forman, Pamela J.. ( 2000;), ‘ Breaking the silence: Lesbian fans, the internet, and the sexual politics of women’s sport. ’, International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 5:2, pp. 14153.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Pollard, Doug. ( 2012;), ‘ Court wrong on the issue of gay choice. ’, Herald Sun;, 24 January, http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/court-wrong-on-the-issue-of-gay-choice/story-fn6bfkm6-1226252771925. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  41. Pollard, Doug. ( 2014), personal communication , 15 August.
  42. Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena ( 2012;), ‘ Society/culture. ’, Facebook;, https://www.facebook.com/RainbowsOverMCA. Accessed 1 December 2012.
  43. Rothenberg, Ben. ( 2017;), ‘ Players want Margaret Court Arena renamed over remarks on gays. ’, New York Times, 31 May, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/sports/tennis/margaret-court-gay-marriage-australia.html?mcubz=3. Accessed 10 June 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Stosur, Samantha. ( 2017;), ‘ ROLAND GARROS. May 29, 2017. Samantha Stosur. ’, ASAP Sports Transcripts;, 29 May, http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=130923. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  45. Stubbs, Rennae. ( 2014), personal communication , 17 August.
  46. Swan, David. ( 2017;), ‘ Court double-faulted for her gay serve. ’, The Australian, 9 June, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/google-renames-margaret-court-arena-after-controversy/news-story/9cc3b3eba5c79d8b5aea77a9643972d3. Accessed 10 June 2017.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Symons, Caroline. ( 2010), The Gay Games: A History, New York:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Tennis Australia ( 2012;), ‘ Tennis Australia statement. ’, Australian Open , 12 January, http://2012.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2012-01-12/201201121326330966849.html. Accessed 13 January 2012.
  49. TV Live On Stage ( 2012;) ‘ Proud Margaret. ’, YouTube;, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4zm-Zo65ok. Accessed 10 June 2019.
  50. Tredway, Kristi. ( 2014;), ‘ Judith Butler redux – The heterosexual matrix and the out lesbian athlete: Amélie Mauresmo, gender performance, and women’s professional tennis. ’, Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 41:2, pp. 16376.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Tredway, Kristi. ( 2016;), ‘ Charging the net: Social activism in women’s professional tennis. ’, Ph.D. thesis, College Park: University of Maryland.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Wilson, Brian. ( 2007;), ‘ New media, social movements, and global sport studies: A revolutionary moment and the sociology of sport. ’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 24:4, pp. 45777.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Wilson, Brian, and White, Philip. ( 2002;), ‘ Revive the pride: Social process, political economy, and a fan-based grassroots movement. ’, Sociology of Sport Journal, 19:2, pp. 11948.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Tredway, K.. ( 2019;), ‘ Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena: Commemoration vs. grassroots LGBTQ social activism at the Australian Open tennis championships. ’, Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 10:1&2, pp. 7190, doi: 10.1386/iscc.10.1-2.71_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/iscc.10.1-2.71_1
Loading
Keyword(s): Australia; LGBTQ politics; marriage equality; professional tennis; public memory; social activism; stadium naming

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed