To export this article to Microsoft Word, please log in or subscribe.
Have an account? Please log in
Not a subscriber? Sign up today
Kort, Michele. "Billie Jean King." The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine). Regent Media. 1998. HighBeam Research. 11 Sep. 2015 <http://www.highbeam.com>.
Kort, Michele. "Billie Jean King." The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine). 1998. HighBeam Research. (September 11, 2015). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20979892.html
Kort, Michele. "Billie Jean King." The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine). Regent Media. 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2015 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20979892.html
Finally, after 17 years of dodging the subject in print, Billie Jean King comes all the way out
When the history of the 20th century is written, Billie Jean King will star in several chapters. In "Sports" she'll be ranked as one of the great women tennis players of all time, having won every Grand Slam singles title and a record 20 Wimbledon titles in singles and doubles. She'll also be duly noted for beating an aging Bobby Riggs in the much-hyped 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match, which drew a record tennis crowd at the Houston Astrodome and 50 million TV viewers.
In the "Women's Rights" chapter, she'll be praised for cofounding the current women's professional tennis tour, starting the Women's Sports Foundation, and initially sponsoring the first women's sports magazine (which, after many incarnations, has now morphed into Conde Nast's Women's Sports & Fitness). Moreover, she'll be lauded for bringing financial equity to women's tennis by lobbying for equal prize money. "I wanted to use spots for social change," she says.
Finally, in the "Gay and Lesbian" chapter, she'll be remembered for something she did not necessarily want to do: coming out. That happened in 1981, when ex-lover Marilyn Barnett sued King for "galimony," effectively ending King's chances for postretirement endorsements. Her response at the time seemed awkward and apologetic but in retrospect is more understandable: She was, after all, still married to Larry King, hadn't asked to be a pioneer in this arena, and faced a public and sponsors even more homophobic than those of today. …
Browse back issues from our extensive library of more than 6,500 trusted publications.
HighBeam Research is operated by Cengage Learning. © Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
The HighBeam advertising network includes: womensforum.com GlamFamily