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A Canberra equality advocate has launched a petition calling for the doctor who handed back her Order of Australia medal in the wake of Margaret Court’s latest honour, to retain the award and has called on the Governor-General to review equity and inclusion in the system. Canberra doctor, Clara Tuck Meng Soo returned the Order of Australia medal she received in 2016 for her work with LGBTQI+ people and HIV positive people, upon hearing Margaret Court would receive the highest Australia Day honour in 2021. Margaret Court was awarded an Order of Australia in 2007 in recognition of her contribution to tennis. Her 2021 honour elevating her to the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) has received widespread backlash, since the news was leaked on Friday. The Pentecostal minister has come under fire in recent years for her public disparaging of same-sex relationships and transgender people. Dr Soo, who is a transgender woman, said if she kept her award she would be “condoning the system” which led Ms Court to receive that honour. “It’s the one small thing I could do to actually draw attention to the fact I don’t agree with this decision,” she told the ABC. “I am not denying Margaret Court’s right to free speech, what I am protesting is rewarding someone for making those comments.” Fellow OAM recipient and founder of Just Equal, Ivan Hinton-Teoh launched a petition calling to save Dr Soo’s award. The Just Equal petition states since Ms Court’s 2007 honour she has used “her tennis career and honours she has received to divide the country and harm the sense of belonging and inclusion of some Australians”. “Margaret Court’s primary contribution to Australian society since being awarded an AO for her historic tennis achievements in 2007 has been to campaign to marginalise and malign LGBTIQ Australians,” the petition stated. “Either the Council was not aware of the damage and division she has actively contributed to or they are and they are supporting it.” The petition has received almost 500 signatures so far. The statement went on to read: “Australians cannot turn a blind eye to that conduct. We cannot ignore that it appears the Council seemingly appears to not celebrate inclusive Australian values”. “We do not want Clara’s life of service to not be celebrated by the Australian Honours System.” Mr Hinton-Teoh has also penned an open letter, signed by more than 30 Australian Honours recipients calling on the Governor-General and Council of the Order of Australia to review the system to ensure “equity and inclusion are key values in determining recipients and so that worthy recipients like Dr Soo feel able to retain their honours.” In an interview with AAP this week, Ms Court – the winner of an unparalleled 24 grand slam singles titles – described the honour as a great privilege. “All my life I’ve had those views and I was just saying what the Bible says,” she said. “I should always be able to say my views biblically, being a pastor and helping people with marriages and family. And I’ll never change those views. “I have nothing against people – I love the people. We have them come into our community services, all kinds – whether they’re gay, transgender, whatever they are. “We never turn a person away and I think it’s been tried to be made out that I’m somebody that I’m not really. And I think that is very sad.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said compilation of the Honours List was an independent process. – With AAP
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A Canberra equality advocate has launched a petition calling for the doctor who handed back her Order of Australia medal in the wake of Margaret Court’s latest honour, to retain the award and has called on the Governor-General to review equity and inclusion in the system.
Margaret Court was awarded an Order of Australia in 2007 in recognition of her contribution to tennis. Her 2021 honour elevating her to the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) has received widespread backlash, since the news was leaked on Friday.
The Pentecostal minister has come under fire in recent years for her public disparaging of same-sex relationships and transgender people.
Dr Soo, who is a transgender woman, said if she kept her award she would be “condoning the system” which led Ms Court to receive that honour.
“It’s the one small thing I could do to actually draw attention to the fact I don’t agree with this decision,” she told the ABC.
“I am not denying Margaret Court’s right to free speech, what I am protesting is rewarding someone for making those comments.”
Dammit, Clara shouldn’t want to return her medal. The Honours system should be one that celebrates phenomenal people like Clara, not have her find the Council doesn’t share her values of inclusion & respect for all Aussies #BraveDrSoo
Sign our petition:https://t.co/DnQxcEgN7E
— Ivan Hinton-Teoh OAM (@IvanHinton) January 24, 2021
Fellow OAM recipient and founder of Just Equal, Ivan Hinton-Teoh launched a petition calling to save Dr Soo’s award.
The Just Equal petition states since Ms Court’s 2007 honour she has used “her tennis career and honours she has received to divide the country and harm the sense of belonging and inclusion of some Australians”.
“Margaret Court’s primary contribution to Australian society since being awarded an AO for her historic tennis achievements in 2007 has been to campaign to marginalise and malign LGBTIQ Australians,” the petition stated.
“Either the Council was not aware of the damage and division she has actively contributed to or they are and they are supporting it.”
The petition has received almost 500 signatures so far.
The statement went on to read: “Australians cannot turn a blind eye to that conduct. We cannot ignore that it appears the Council seemingly appears to not celebrate inclusive Australian values”.
“We do not want Clara’s life of service to not be celebrated by the Australian Honours System.”
Mr Hinton-Teoh has also penned an open letter, signed by more than 30 Australian Honours recipients calling on the Governor-General and Council of the Order of Australia to review the system to ensure “equity and inclusion are key values in determining recipients and so that worthy recipients like Dr Soo feel able to retain their honours.”
In an interview with AAP this week, Ms Court – the winner of an unparalleled 24 grand slam singles titles – described the honour as a great privilege.
“All my life I’ve had those views and I was just saying what the Bible says,” she said.
“I should always be able to say my views biblically, being a pastor and helping people with marriages and family. And I’ll never change those views.
“I have nothing against people – I love the people. We have them come into our community services, all kinds – whether they’re gay, transgender, whatever they are.
“We never turn a person away and I think it’s been tried to be made out that I’m somebody that I’m not really. And I think that is very sad.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said compilation of the Honours List was an independent process.
