On the 50th
anniversary of the Battle of the Sexes, US senators will nominate Billie Jean
King for the Congressional Gold Medal.
The
American tennis legend was widely celebrated during the recent US Open, marking
50 years since the achievement of equal prize money in women's tennis, led by
Billie Jean King.
The pivotal
event that paved the way for gender pay equality was the "Battle of the
Sexes" exhibition match in 1973, where retired tennis star and former
world No. 1, Bobby Riggs, faced off against Billie Jean King, who was
dominating the WTA Tour at that time.
"This
match was about much more than tennis. It was about social change," King
wrote few days ago on X.
In an event
that captured worldwide attention and even generated more excitement than that
year's Super Bowl, King emerged victorious in three sets, with a score of 6-4,
6-3, 6-3, in front of 90 million viewers worldwide. This historic match, which
celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 20th, is being acknowledged by the
US Congress, where they aim to highlight Billie Jean King's contributions
"She's
both a role model for women and girls everywhere, but she's also a
battle-tested warrior for women's rights and equality," said Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand of New York, one of the bill's leaders in the Senate along with
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
"I
think it's important for women and girls to know that the playing field has not
been level for a very long time, but that there are champions and advocates who
have been fighting on their behalf for generations to get that playing field
leveled," she added.
"We
still have never had a woman president. We have very few women governors. We
still only have 20% of women in Congress," she said. "So we have a
long way to go, but champions like Billie Jean give us hope that through
fighting, through effort, through advocacy, we can reach these milestones of
equality."
