“Just listen to their stories”: Billie Jean King calls for empathy towards trans athletes

Former world number one Billie Jean King has urged everyone to try to make trans people feel more inclusive in the sport. There has been a debate for a long time about whether trans athletes should be allowed to participate in women’s tennis.

Former world number one Martina Navratilova has remained a prominent figure and has raised her concerns on various forums, particularly on social media platforms. However, King has now come out in support of making trans athletes feel more inclusive in sports. The 81-year-old spoke to The Telegraph in an interview, which was published on June 29th, where she asked everyone to listen to the horror of how hard it is to be a trans person. King called for more engagement in the sport and believed that debate should never stop.

“The whole thing’s a nightmare,” said King. “I don’t think people have any idea of how hard it is for trans people. Just listen to their stories. Listen – not tell them. Everyone is unique. Make them feel included because you really don’t know. With every person I meet, I try to start with a blank. Ask questions. If I weren’t doing this interview with you, I’d be bugging you with a lot of questions.”

Women's tennis has had its share of controversies in recent years. One of those was holding the WTA Finals event last year in Saudi Arabia. The decision to hold the event in an oil-rich country received backlash from various quarters of the tennis community. However, King was of the opinion that, in the long run, the decision is likely to pay dividends.

“I know things don’t change without engagement,” she said. “You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I have a feeling it’s going to help long term. In the short term, it probably doesn’t feel like it. It’s the girls who watched it [the WTA Finals]. They had some mothers and girls there of colour and they started getting excited about it. You never know how one person is going to impact another person’s life. Muhammad Ali and I used to talk about this a lot. If you don’t engage, things will stay the same.”