Furious Matildas star Katrina Gorry blasts Sam Kerr baby critics

News.com.au

7 hours ago

Matildas great Katrina Gorry has blasted some of the commentary that accompanied Sam Kerr's announcement of the birth of her baby boy.
Midfielder Gorry, 32, is a mainstay of the Australian side, making 114 appearances to date in well over a decade in national colours.
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Captain of West Ham United in the Women's Super League, Gorry has two children with her fiancee Clara Markstedt, son Koby born last year and three-year-old daughter Harper.
Gorry and fellow footballer Markstedt are getting married on June 15.
Last month, Kerr and her fiancee Kristie Mewis came under fire from conservative politicians after welcoming baby boy Jagger into the world.
The Matildas star and Mewis announced the birth of their first child on Instagram, writing: 'Our little man is here.'
The post was flooded with messages of support, but Lyle Shelton – national director of political party Family First – used the opportunity to slam the pair's decision.
Shelton claimed by raising Jagger, the football glamour couple are 'depriving' the child of his 'human rights'.
'A baby is born – but where's dad?' Shelton wrote on social media alongside a picture of the loved-up couple with their newborn.
'Family First congratulates Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis on the birth of their son – but we must speak a truth too many are afraid to say.
'No child should be deliberately deprived of their father. Children aren't lifestyle accessories – they're human beings with rights.'
Gorry has just published her autobiography, titled Katrina Gorry: A Matildas hero's story of football, motherhood and breaking down barriers, and spoke exclusively to news.com.au.
She was asked for her reaction to Shelton's comments and said she was stunned that sort of attitude is still prevalent today.
'It's tough,' Gorry told news.com.au's From The Newsroom podcast, which you can watch in the video at the top of the page.
'When I look at my kids, they're full of love, they're full of happiness, you know?
'Yeah they don't have a dad, but they've got two mums.
'Harper thinks it's pretty cool that she's got two mums and I see the life that they live.
'I've seen kids being brought up with a mum and a dad and not treated the same way.
'And I think if you're two healthy parents and you can give them love and happiness, then what's left to give?
'It shouldn't matter if you're a male or female. It should just matter if you can love the child and give them everything that they need.
'And that makes me really upset that people are still, you know, living in that age and in that era and can't see how loved these kids are.
'We spend so much money just to have them. So, you know, we've made that decision together to be able to have the kids.
'We've spent a lot of money to do it and I think that says more than anything.'
In Shelton's post on Kerr, he went on to ask: 'When the cultural elites cheer on choices that sideline dads, who's left standing for the child?
'Love is not enough. Every child deserves – and needs – a mum and a dad, wherever possible.
'It's time to put children's rights before adult desires.'
Unsurprisingly, Shelton was one of the leading voices of the 'No' campaign against same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017.
He wasn't the only one angry at Kerr and Mewis for raising a child together, with United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet, also commenting: 'Children need both a mother and a father.'
Those takes came after the couple's baby announcement was inundated with backlash and homophobic abuse.
In December, Kerr announced on Instagram the couple would soon become a family of three and the news was widely shared by various accounts such as the Matildas and her club team Chelsea.
However, such was the magnitude of hatred and homophobia in the comments, Chelsea had to turn off and hide various comments.
The abuse was swiftly condemned by Chelsea Pride, an LGBTQ+ supporter group.
'Homophobia has no place in football, at Chelsea, or in our society,' the group said in a statement.
'It's heartbreaking and infuriating to see social media flooded with hateful comments when we should be celebrating love, pride, and unity.
'Over the weekend and today, our club was forced to shut down comments and even delete posts, posts that should have been shining moments of joy, from the powerful symbolism of Rainbow Laces to the incredible news that Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis will welcome a child in 2025.
''No to Hate' isn't just a slogan; it's a battle cry. It's a reminder that we must keep fighting for what is right, for true acceptance, and for a game that embraces everyone without exception.'