A children’s book about tennis legend Billie Jean King has been challenged in a Florida school district, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Leon County Schools, the Tallahassee school district with more than 30,000 students, is reviewing I Am Billie Jean King, written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos, following a parental complaint.
The parent objected to the book’s LGBTQ+ content. In the book, the character of King is presented discussing the end of her marriage to sports promoter Larry King and her subsequent marriage to fellow tennis player Ilana Kloss. Billie Jean King came out as lesbian in 1981, one of the first prominent professional athletes to do so.
“Eventually, Larry and I stopped being married and I fell in love with a wonderful woman named Ilana,” King’s character says in the book. “You can’t choose who you fall in love with. Your heart will tell you.”
The newspaper notes that the parent’s complaint came 10 days after King spoke out against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that he signed into law.
Meltzer posted about the complaint on Instagram, writing, “At the heart of this meritless challenge is the idea that it’s somehow inappropriate to teach that one of America’s great heroes is gay. Let me be clear: there is nothing shameful or inappropriate about being gay. I stand with @BillieJeanKing, I stand with the LGBTQ+ community, and I stand against hatred and intolerance.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
