On May 1, 1981, Billie Jean Kg publicly me out as gay
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MAY 1, 1981: THE DAY BILLIE JEAN KG PUBLICLY ME OUT AS GAY
* was billie jean king gay *
On May 1, 1981, Billie Jean Kg, driven by circumstanc, beme the first proment profsnal female athlete to publicly e out about her homosexualy. Bart’s lawyers thought this prciple uld also apply a homosexual relatnship and sought half of Billie Jean Kg’s earngs throughout the seven-year perd. Over the years, beme more mon for female athlet to be open about their homosexualy.
"But the gay rights activist, now 73, admted she didn’t start feelg fortable about beg gay until she was 51 years old, after "tons of therapy. " She believ this was partly bee of the shame many people — cludg her own parents — associated wh homosexualy, which Kg said “was a big al the '70s. She knew she was gay.
In the 70s, homosexualy was still crimalized many stat and close iends disuraged her om g out, pecially as her reer was boomg. Although Billie had officially been out of the closet for 13 years, she didn’t tell her mother she was gay until she was 51. At the height of her reer, after a triumph over Bobby Riggs the Battle of the Sex, she was publicly and pafully outed as gay, and she has sce bee an outspoken advote for LGBTQ+ rights.