Today, we discussed renowned athlete and activist Billie Jean King. King was a very successful tennis player who proved gender stereotypes about women in sports wrong. She spoke out about inequality in regards to women being paid less than men in sports. She founded many clubs that supported women in pursuing sports as a career. She was also an ally for women of colour who wanted to play tennis, including a young Black athlete named Althea who became a very influential tennis star.
King was outed in the 1980s. This meant that a journalist found out that she was a lesbian and spread the news across the world. When someone is outed, it means they did not agree to share this part of their identity about themselves. Because King was outed, many people targeted her and she faced lots of homophobia and even threats against her. King then became an activist for LGBTQ+ rights as well, and has participated in many Pride parades.
Some possible discussion questions:
- Why do you think Billie Jean King had to fight harder to be respected and accepted as an athlete?
- How can we be allies to people who experience racism, sexism, or homophobia?
- Would you consider yourself to be an athlete? Why or why not?