Metro
07-01-2012, 08:05 AM
While doing a bit of housecleaning I stumbled upon a treasure I've kept since I was a kid... an autograph personally given to me by Billie Jean King. I would like to share the story of how I acquired this autograph and am wondering if anyone else here has similar stories of meeting prominent allies or members of our community? If so, please share.
Here's my story...
Back in the early 70s when Billie Jean King was in her prime competitive years, yet was not financially compensated on par with men of her caliber, there was a professional women's tennis circuit called The Virginia Slims.
In 1971 this tour sponsored the US Women's Clay Court Championships which were held in Indianapolis of that year. For anyone at all interested in athletics, tennis was THE thing to do back then, and I immediately picked up the sport (among all of the non-organized sandlot sports in which I excelled alongside older boys in my neighborhood). Tennis was the first organized sport I had a chance to play (I soooo wanted to compete in Punt, Pass and Kick, and think I could have won in my age group, but wasn't allowed to do so back then since I was a girl).
The girls summer tennis league to which I belonged (at age 12) made the trip to Indy that year to see the US Women's Clay Court Championship Finals. After watching, completely transfixed by the players and their talent, our group made its way toward the women's locker room. Our coach, and mom-chaperones, were intent on our group personally meeting a player or two as they left the locker room.
Low and behold Billie Jean herself emerged, with a reporter in tow, and they were in an intense conversation. I vividly recall that Billie Jean said emphatically to the male reporter "No, I will *not* give you an interview -- men would get paid for such an interview, and therefor so should I!"
Then, with an equal amount of poise and tenderness, she turned to me and took the pen and scrap of popcorn box I had in hand (see pic via link below), signed it and then moved on to sign something for a few more of the girls in our group. Wow -- I will never forget that moment!
I'd like to think, along with the tremendous love and support of my parents, that this experience gave me a boost in becoming one of the premier girls high school varsity tennis players in the state where I grew up. In addition, very early in life it provided me with a clear concept of what financial equity meant -- equal pay for equal work. Unfortunately, as we all know, to this day pay equity has yet to be achieved. But there have been gains.
Billie Jean King's work was also influential in the passage of Title IX, a law from which I (and many others to this day) was to benefit -- I tried out for and earned a spot and competed on the boys high school varsity tennis team (before a sanctioned girls varsity team was in place) and went on to letter in 5 high school sports, was named member of the All-state girls basketball team my senior year, and went on to earn a letter in varsity collegiate basketball. At that time in my life sports provided me with needed confidence, and the law provided some validation for doing what I enjoyed and wanted to do.
So, I salute Billie Jean King and others who have and continue to use their fame to positively influence our lives.
http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/album.php?albumid=87&pictureid=707
Here's my story...
Back in the early 70s when Billie Jean King was in her prime competitive years, yet was not financially compensated on par with men of her caliber, there was a professional women's tennis circuit called The Virginia Slims.
In 1971 this tour sponsored the US Women's Clay Court Championships which were held in Indianapolis of that year. For anyone at all interested in athletics, tennis was THE thing to do back then, and I immediately picked up the sport (among all of the non-organized sandlot sports in which I excelled alongside older boys in my neighborhood). Tennis was the first organized sport I had a chance to play (I soooo wanted to compete in Punt, Pass and Kick, and think I could have won in my age group, but wasn't allowed to do so back then since I was a girl).
The girls summer tennis league to which I belonged (at age 12) made the trip to Indy that year to see the US Women's Clay Court Championship Finals. After watching, completely transfixed by the players and their talent, our group made its way toward the women's locker room. Our coach, and mom-chaperones, were intent on our group personally meeting a player or two as they left the locker room.
Low and behold Billie Jean herself emerged, with a reporter in tow, and they were in an intense conversation. I vividly recall that Billie Jean said emphatically to the male reporter "No, I will *not* give you an interview -- men would get paid for such an interview, and therefor so should I!"
Then, with an equal amount of poise and tenderness, she turned to me and took the pen and scrap of popcorn box I had in hand (see pic via link below), signed it and then moved on to sign something for a few more of the girls in our group. Wow -- I will never forget that moment!
I'd like to think, along with the tremendous love and support of my parents, that this experience gave me a boost in becoming one of the premier girls high school varsity tennis players in the state where I grew up. In addition, very early in life it provided me with a clear concept of what financial equity meant -- equal pay for equal work. Unfortunately, as we all know, to this day pay equity has yet to be achieved. But there have been gains.
Billie Jean King's work was also influential in the passage of Title IX, a law from which I (and many others to this day) was to benefit -- I tried out for and earned a spot and competed on the boys high school varsity tennis team (before a sanctioned girls varsity team was in place) and went on to letter in 5 high school sports, was named member of the All-state girls basketball team my senior year, and went on to earn a letter in varsity collegiate basketball. At that time in my life sports provided me with needed confidence, and the law provided some validation for doing what I enjoyed and wanted to do.
So, I salute Billie Jean King and others who have and continue to use their fame to positively influence our lives.
http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/album.php?albumid=87&pictureid=707