British teen wears rainbow headband to counter Court’s anti-gay comments
Though the planned rainbow protests at Margaret Court Arena have been a bust, Laura Robson was, with a simple gesture, able to subtly comment on the controversy involving Australia's greatest tennis legend.
The 19-year-old Brit wore a rainbow hairband during her first-round Australian Open loss to Jelena Jankovic, a clear statement regarding comments the court's namesake made last month about gay marriage.
Court was vehement in her opposition to same-sex unions during a December interview with a Perth newspaper. "Politically correct education has masterfully escorted homosexuality out from behind closed doors, into the community openly and now is aggressively demanding marriage rights that are not theirs to take," the 24-time Grand Slam champion said.
In 1991, Court said lesbianism was ruining women's tennis.
Robson heard Court's recent comments and chose to show her support for gay rights.
"I didn't see anything about a protest," Robson said after the match. "I wore it because I believe in equal rights for everyone, that's it. It's not a protest, it's just a hairband."
Some Australian adults could learn from the teen's act. There have been calls from prominent activists outside the tennis world to take Court's name off the 6,000-seat arena. Silencing intolerance isn't the same thing as ending it. Simple statements like a player wearing a rainbow headband or a fan waving a rainbow flag are for more effective means of supporting the cause.
