Imagine a world where men are paid twelve times more than women for doing the same thing. This kind of world could still exist if it were not for Billie Jean King. She came from humble beginnings and made her way to the top, becoming one of the best tennis players in the world. Billie Jean completely changed not only the tennis world, but the world as a whole, using her prominence on court to make a difference for women’s rights and the LGBT community around the world. Billie Jean King is 73 years old, and was born on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California (“Billie Jean King, Mylan WTT co-founder”). According to pbs.org, she was raised by her mother, who was a housewife, and father, who was an engineer at the local fire station. Both
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It was not expected that she would become a member of the LGBT community after being raised with religious parents, but Billie Jean was a strong and powerful …show more content…
According to biography.com, Billie Jean was one of the highest paid athletes of her time, but she still fought for equal pay. She fought for what she thought was right, not for what society thought was okay, which not many people did at the time. Billie Jean noticed that at some tournaments, men were getting paid twelve times more than women, which she found outrageous because both men and women have equal abilities and have to put forth the same amount of effort to do well (“Billie Jean King Biography”). Finally, in 1973, Billie Jean King’s push for equality began to pay off when the US Open paid equal prize money to men and women (“Billie Jean King Biography”). Billie Jean’s fight for equal pay made her a primary spokeswoman for the women’s liberation movement. She was also a key figure for Title IX, an amendment where colleges are required to spend federal funds on boys and girls equally, to be passed as law (“Billie Jean King Biography”). She also participated in “The Battle of the Sexes,” where she faced ex-tennis star, Bobby Riggs in a match, which she won in five sets (“Filmmaker Essay: On Billie Jean King”). This match empowered women, and showed men that women could compete with them. Billie Jean King was also the first prominent woman athlete to publicly admit her homosexuaity (“Billie Jean King Biography”). After the
It was not expected that she would become a member of the LGBT community after being raised with religious parents, but Billie Jean was a strong and powerful …show more content…
According to biography.com, Billie Jean was one of the highest paid athletes of her time, but she still fought for equal pay. She fought for what she thought was right, not for what society thought was okay, which not many people did at the time. Billie Jean noticed that at some tournaments, men were getting paid twelve times more than women, which she found outrageous because both men and women have equal abilities and have to put forth the same amount of effort to do well (“Billie Jean King Biography”). Finally, in 1973, Billie Jean King’s push for equality began to pay off when the US Open paid equal prize money to men and women (“Billie Jean King Biography”). Billie Jean’s fight for equal pay made her a primary spokeswoman for the women’s liberation movement. She was also a key figure for Title IX, an amendment where colleges are required to spend federal funds on boys and girls equally, to be passed as law (“Billie Jean King Biography”). She also participated in “The Battle of the Sexes,” where she faced ex-tennis star, Bobby Riggs in a match, which she won in five sets (“Filmmaker Essay: On Billie Jean King”). This match empowered women, and showed men that women could compete with them. Billie Jean King was also the first prominent woman athlete to publicly admit her homosexuaity (“Billie Jean King Biography”). After the