Billie Jean King.Photo: John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
Former world tennis champion and current women’s rights advocateBillie Jean Kinghas no desire to slow down when it comes to gender equality.
Billie Jean King tells PEOPLE that while events such as this one that celebrate female equality are great,there is a lot of work yet to be done. When discussing the progression of female rights, the former tennis player says “it’s been very, very slow.”
“You’ll think progress was very fast when you read it, but when you’ve lived it, it’s very, very slow. So for me, all I’m thinking about now is the next 50 to 100 years, what can we do now to tee that up so girls and women are successful?”
She continues, “Eventually I hope that more women have that opportunity too, and women slowly but surely right now are starting to have more money and that’s going to give choices, mobility and all the things that we need.”
Billie Jean King.Gotham/Getty
King’s wish is that men start to think more about “wanting equal opportunity for all their children, all their grandchildren, all their friends. That’s what we really want.”
For the time being, King thinks seeing more mixed sports would be a step in the right direction. “I don’t mean playing against each other,” King explains. She elaborates, “But like team tennis, we always had men and women together and it was all equal. So when a child would come to a match, he or she or they would see equality on the court. That’s what I want. I always want inclusion, equality. Figure it out.”
As a sports icon who has paved the way for so many women, Billie Jean King recognizes how wonderful it is to be celebrating the 50th anniversary ofTitle IXthis year. However, just like the rest of the fight for equality, there are still aspects to be worked on. “For Title IX the next 50 years, we have to make sure we worry about girls of color, girls and women living with disabilities, theLGBT community… they’ve been left behind a lot in this.”
Bettman/Getty
Despite having a successful, robust career, Billie Jean King has no desire to look back. “Actually, I don’t look back, I look forward usually. The only reason I look back is the more I know about history, the better you can shape the future.”
source: people.com
