Billie Jean King brings Democrats and Republicans together in vote to award her a rare medal

As anyone who has watched even a moment of election coverage can attest, this year it feels like it would take a figure of near miraculous brilliance to convince Congress to pass anything on a bipartisan basis.

So it makes sense that this story is about Billie Jean King.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed legislation to award King the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor that Congress can bestow. 

The bill had already made it through the Senate, so once President Joe Biden signs it into law, King will become the first individual female athlete in history to earn the award.

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In a summer noteworthy for Team LGBTQ winning a plethora of medals, this one is right up there with the most prestigious of all.

“Beyond her extraordinary collection of trophies and 39 Grand Slam titles, Billie Jean King leveraged her remarkable achievements and prominent platform to catalyze a seismic shift in the women’s movement,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who co-introduced the bill with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).

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Sherrill issued a statement lauding King and underscoring that her “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

Clearly, King’s legacy has transcended partisan politics in 2024. Which goes down as yet another example of her breaking an insurmountable barrier.

Sherrill and Fitzpatrick announced that they had lined up enough votes among their colleagues shortly after the bill unanimously passed the Senate.

Of course, King has become used to lopsided margins of victory ever since she played Bobby Riggs. 

Appropriately enough, the bill was originally introduced last fall on the 50th anniversary of the King vs. Riggs “Battle of the Sexes” match.

Once Biden signs the bill, King will join an impressive list of humanitarian athletes to earn the Congressional Gold Medal including legends like Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Arnold Palmer.

King had previously earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. With this latest news, it appears she’s now completing the Grand Slam of our nation’s greatest civilian honors.

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