Billie Jean King

[Glebb]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 9:54am

HBO special reminds me of what a first class woman she has always been.

[cturtle]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 10:06am

love her! does she still play? i love to see her play j mcenroe and whip his a$$.

Updated On: 5/7/06 at 10:06 AM

[vbplayer]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 5:07pm

I met her several years ago at a Virginia Slims tennis event. She is definitely a class act and a terrific lady. She so deserves this recognition.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 5:09pm

I didn't think she was all that first class when she went to such pains to lie about her sexuality.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 5:16pm

That, Namo, would be the very reason I have a problem with Rosie.

Only King was dealing with it in a completely different time and climate.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 5:32pm

I didn't think she was all that first class when she went to such pains to lie about her sexuality.

Quick, someone get an exorcist. Namo has been possessed by the spirit of Stanley Steamer Stephens!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:26pm

Rosie never ever called a press conference to angrily deny that she was a lesbian in any time or place.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:29pm

She didn't have to call a press conference - she had her own talk show. She denied it every time she mentioned how much she wanted Tom Cruise - and every time she claimed to be a "single parent" when she was in fact sharing parenting duties with her then-partner.

Updated On: 5/7/06 at 06:29 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:36pm

What I was saying Rathnait, as if you didn't know (unless you really didn't know in which case you actually are dumber than a post), was that neither Rosie nor Sean Hayes (Steven Stanley, that's for you, if you're reading this) ever actively went out of their way to say that they are or were heterosexual. Which is exactly what Ms. King did.

However, it's fantastic to see you actually take an activist stance for once in your life, Rath, instead of your auto-conservative response. And as an activist, how does it feel to be such close friends with Karen Ziemba? Where does she stand on the coming out issue?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:40pm

I'm not saying what King did was right - but you are always on my case for not liking Rosie for the same thing you don't like King for - just because King called a press conference, which to you is apparently very different from staying in the closet on national tv every single day - many, many years later.

And as for not actively saying she was heterosexual - declaring your desire for a certain man most every day for years on your talk show is pretty much saying you're heterosexual.

Actively.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:42pm

Hmmmm, mum seems to be the word about Ms. Z, I see.

Well, I'm on your case for not liking Rosie because her not coming out earlier isn't the real reason you dislike her anyway.

And I like Ms. Jean King just fine, although it's hard for me to see her as a hero, given how hard she worked to deny she was a lesbian.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:45pm

Namo, I know you think you know everyone here better than they know themselves, but believe me when I say that that is indeed the very reason I stopped liking Rosie.

[Mamamia Sammy2]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:47pm

Can't we all just get along?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 7:16pm

Rosie never said she wanted to Fvck Tommy. Just that he was cute and she adored him. Much like any gay man going on about Cher or Liza! There is a big difference.

By the way, Namo, seen any good shows in L.A. recently?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 10:43pm

I'm waiting for a revival of "Fortune & Men's Eyes," that's SO L.A..

Speaking of knowing people better than anybody else, how about that Karen Ziemba, Rath? How is her "strategy" particularly different from Rosie O'Donnell's and Sean Hayes's?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 11:32pm

Namo, is that the production at the Saint Ben de'Knee's Prep? I hear the shower scene is hot...

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 11:57pm

Some types adore Prep School Shower scenes.

Anybody heard from Rath? I can't wait to hear her opinions on how SOME people can be "not out" but not "closeted" while others can't.

[wink]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 12:39am

I really enjoyed this special on Billie Jean King. I knew she was an advocate for equality between the sexes in sports, but I didn't know the specifics.

It's sad that it took a lawsuit for her to open up about her sexuality. It's obvious she felt safer denying her attraction to women then. She looks very happy now and content with her life.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 8:35am

"I can't wait to hear her opinions on how SOME people can be "not out" but not "closeted" while others can't."

You mean, how it's okay with you for Rosie to deny her sexuality to the world but not King? I can't explain how you feel. You have to do that for yourself.

Updated On: 5/8/06 at 08:35 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 8:40am

Glebb, I'm sorry I missed this special. Thanks for letting us know about it.

I always enjoyed her tennis, and she was a bit of a 'women's rights' role model for me when I was growing up.

She did SO MUCH to move equality between men's and women's tennis forward. Actually, sports in general.

Updated On: 5/8/06 at 08:40 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 8:42am

FYI -

Billie Jean Moffit was born on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California. In her early years she was an exceptional softball player; yet, Billie Jean knew that there was no significant future for a woman in softball. Her parents introduced her to tennis, the game that would change her life and the lives of other women.

In 1967 she was selected as "Outstanding Female Athlete of the World". In 1972 she was named Sports Illustrated "Sportsperson of the Year", the first woman to be so honored; and in 1973, she was dubbed "Female Athlete of the Year".

She was the first female athlete to win over $100,000 prize money in a single season. Billie Jean King spoke out for women and their right to earn comparable money in tennis and other sports. Her constant lobbying and commitments have broken many barriers.

Billie Jean King established the first successful women's professional tennis tour. She founded tennis clinics for undeprivileged children. For her contributions to tennis as President of Tennis-America, Billie Jean King was awarded the National Service Bowl.

[Glebb]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 8:47am

She really did do a lot Addy. :)
Her outing came in a very different and difficult time.
It was so much harder to face that kind of publicity as a star back then. I remember watching a match on tv in which a spectator 'raspberried' her. She did a curtsie in response. Brilliant.
We were performing in Detroit at the end of the 1970s. The Virginia Slims was in Detroit at the same time. Ms. King not only came to a performance but she also sent a telegram congratulating us.
Class Act all the way.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 8:52am

Billie Jean Is Not My Lover
She's Just A Girl Who Claims That I Am The One
But The Kid Is Not My Son
She Says I Am The One, But The Kid Is Not My Son

[NYadgal]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 8:53am

I had the joy of meeting her on several occasions at various events myself, and she was always fun and gracious and supportive of whatever organization was hosting the event.

A true class act.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 5/8/06 at 11:06am

i have been shilling this HBO special for about a week now. i'm glad someone noticed it, although i'm sorry it descended into bickering but what can you do?
billie jean was married to larry king for many years and they loved each other very much. she was even pregnant with his child, but chose to have an abortion. her identity was quite cluoded even to herself, for years. does having an affair with a woman make you gay? i had relationships with men for years and it did not make me straight.
if you saw the special, billie jean was all about the survival of the professional womens tennis association. rumors about her sexuality and the sexuality of other female players was used as an excuse to GIVE WOMEN LESS MONEY THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS. martina was the player who came out and paved the way for billie jean to be out comfortably, as billie jean had paved the way for ALL FEMALE ATHLETES to receive adequate pay and pioneered Title IX giving women equal access to higher education. she lead one of the most productive lives i've ever witnessed.
she lived at the end of my block for many years and i would often see her in the vegetarian restaurant on the corner. i wish i could tell her thank you now, because i never really knew the extent of her achievements.