"I wanted to change the hearts and minds." Billie Jean King continues to crusade for gender equality

LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez

Tennis legend Billie Jean King is a visionary whose legacy is ever-evolving. King, a crusader for social change and gender equality, was listed as one of the most important Americans of the 20th century by "Life" magazine for her work and achievements. But one of the greatest honors of her life, she says, is the full circle celebration of the new Long Beach Library being named after her. King credits her hometown of Long Beach for making her the success she is in sports and beyond. She discusses being a lifelong Dodgers fan and her fulfilled dream of becoming a part-owner of the franchise. The sports pioneer opens up about the shock, trauma and consequences of being painfully and publicly outed as gay back in 1981. She also discusses her homophobic parents and how that influenced her own homophobia, self-acceptance and eating disorder. King explains to Giselle Fernandez why she believes women and girls should be brave and not perfect.