Billie Jean King, the tennis legend who has been a trailblazer on so many fronts, will be one of the grand marshals for the New York City Pride March on June 24.
King was the first active professional athlete we know of to come out publicly when she held a press conference in 1980. Even before then she was fighting for equal pay for women in sports. Both her fight for gender equality and her sexual orientation were subjects of last year’s Golden Globe-nominated film, Battle of the Sexes.
The selection of King is particularly timely as Outsports Pride will also be held during New York City Pride. The event will bring over 100 LGBTQ people in sports to connect, share, have a blast and walk in the same march that King will lead.
The other grand marshals of the parade will be Lambda Legal, trans activist Tyler Ford, and HIV and Caribbean LGBTQ activist Kenita Placide.
If you’d like to join the Outsports Pride festivities in New York City, you can find more information here.
