News
PBS series to profile Billie Jean King
Retired tennis champ outed in 1981 after lawsuit disclosed same-sex relationship

Billie Jean King (Photo by Andrew Coppa Photography)
PBS will profile retired tennis champion Billie Jean King in an episode of “American Masters” the network will air on Sept. 10.
King, 69, won 39 Grand Slam titles during her professional career that spanned more than a decade from 1968 to 1983.
She founded the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973, the same year she defeated Bobby Riggs in a match that became known as the Battle of the Sexes. King the same year founded the Women’s Tennis Association, and in 1974 she co-founded the co-ed Mylan World TeamTennis league.
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King came out as a lesbian after her relationship with her then-secretary and hairdresser Marilyn Barnett became public when she filed a palimony lawsuit against her while she was still married to her husband.
The retired tennis champion told reporters during a conference call on Monday she lost all her endorsements “within 24 hours” of publicly declaring her homosexuality. King noted the companies that had once backed her “wrote me about how horrible a person I was.”
“The culture at the time was not accepting, at all,” she said, noting she had planned to retire in 1981, but delayed the decision two years because she lost more than $2 million because of the lost endorsements. “It was completely different than it is now.”
King added she feels gay Americans currently find themselves at “a tipping point” in terms of the LGBT rights movement, even though she noted more than 30 states still lack transgender-specific employment protections.
“If I went back to 1981, I cannot tell you how tough it was,” King said, referring to gay 1963 March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin. “I can’t even imagine the pioneers before me and all the people that couldn’t come out that wanted to accomplish things not only for themselves, but for others.”
King also weighed in on calls to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics that will take place in Sochi, Russia, in February over the country’s LGBT rights record.
“The athletes who have the most to derive from it and the least to derive from it if they don’t go, I think they should get the vote,” she said during the conference call in response to a Washington Blade question about the issue. “This is the Olympics. This is about the athletes and the fans, so it’s a really hard call.”
Hungary
New Hungarian prime minister takes office
Péter Magyar’s party defeated anti-LGBTQ Viktor Orbán last month
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office on Saturday.
Magyar’s center-right Tisza party on April 12 defeated then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition. Vice President JD Vance less than a week before the election traveled to Budapest, the Hungarian capital, and urged Hungarians to support Orbán.
Orbán had been in office since 2010. He and his government faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.
The European Commission in 2022 sued Hungary, which is a member of the EU, over the country’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law. The European Union’s top court, the EU Court of Justice, on April 21 struck down the statute.
The EU while Orbán was office withheld upwards of €35 billion ($41.26) in funds to Hungary in response to concerns over corruption, rule of law, and other issues.
Hungarian lawmakers in March 2025 passed a bill that banned Pride events and allowed authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them. MPs later amended the Hungarian constitution to ban public LGBTQ events.
Upwards of 100,000 people last June defied the ban and marched in Budapest’s annual Pride parade.
“Congratulations to [Péter Magyar] on becoming prime minister of Hungary,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.
“This Europe Day, our hearts are in Budapest,” she added. “The hope and promise of renewal is a powerful signal in these challenging times.”
“We have important work ahead of us,” noted von der Leyen. “For Hungary and for Europe, we are moving forward together.”
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Congratulations to Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on being honored with this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health. Amy Nelson, senior director of Legal Services, said, “Congresswoman Sarah McBride is working to make healthcare accessible to all, and this award recognizes her support of healthcare as a human right. Our legal program supports families facing unprecedented challenges to stay healthy and safe – families that Congresswoman McBride champions with a deep understanding of the issues they face and the legislative expertise of how to support them.”
McBride, in a press release, said, “I am honored to accept this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health — an organization that has spent 40 years doing vital work to ensure every person can access the dignity of care. In the wealthiest and most developed nation on earth, the ability to receive care should not be a matter of luck—it should be the law of the land. I am proud to be recognized as a partner in this work and to support Whitman-Walker Health in their mission to build a healthier society for all.”
Congratulations also to Wes Drummond who will join Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as its third artistic director. Managing Director Joe Gfaller said, “This is an exciting moment of growth for Clear Space as we welcome Wes to join our remarkable team. I am confident he will be an excellent partner as we work with our entire staff, board, and committed team of volunteers, to ensure Clear Space can achieve its full potential in pursuit of our mission to unite and enrich our community through every production on stage, and every arts-based learning program we offer throughout our community.”
On accepting the position Drummond said, “I’m honored to join Clear Space Theatre Company as artistic director, and beyond excited for what we’re about to create together. Clear Space has established itself as a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of coastal Delaware, and I feel incredibly fortunate to step into this next chapter alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. Rehoboth Beach is a place defined by creativity and community, and I look forward to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships across the region in the months ahead. My vision is to help Clear Space continue to grow as a bold, forward-thinking, cultural force, that champions fearless storytelling.”

Drummond served in leadership roles at Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, Minn., from 2021 to 2026, including four years as executive director followed by one year as executive producing artistic director, guiding the organization through a period of significant transformation and stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a director, he has worked extensively in New York City, Chicago, and at regional theaters across the country, directing both musical theater and plays with a focus on storytelling that bridges classical works with contemporary perspectives. He has collaborated with leading figures in the industry, including Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, and Tony-nominated director Michael Greif. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Wes earned his MFA in directing, Penn State University, where he studied under Tony-nominated director, Susan H. Schulman.
Virginia
Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan
Voters narrowly approved new congressional districts last month
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Democrat-backed redistricting plan that voters approved last month.
Ten of 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts favor Democrats in the plan that passed by a 51-48 vote margin in last month’s referendum.
The Human Rights Campaign PAC is among the groups that support it. The court by a 4-3 majority invalidated the referendum results.
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