During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, transgender and intersex athletes competed for the first time in the Games’ history. In addition to prejudices regarding sexual orientation, gender identity discrimination has also been prevalent throughout sports history. “As well as that, I had people tell me that if I talked about what I was going through, it would be the end of the women’s tour. “I wanted to tell the truth but my parents were homophobic and I was in the closet,” the Women’s Tennis Association founder revealed. During a 2007 interview with The Sunday Times, King said she once feared that acknowledging her sexuality could hurt her career.

Tennis player and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Billie Jean King won the famous “ Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs in 1973, more than 40 years before same-sex marriage became legal throughout the United States. LGBTQ+ athletes have been breaking down barriers and challenging prejudices for decades, but it wasn’t always easy.