What Billie Jean King and Megan Rapinoe Taught Me About Courage
Melinda French Gates
Founder of Pivotal. Co-founder of the Gates Foundation. Author of The Moment of Lift.
I’ve been thinking a lot about courage lately—what it means, where it comes from, and how it shows up in our lives.
This topic came up in some recent conversations I had with tennis legend Billie Jean King and soccer star Megan Rapinoe as part of my new series, Moments that Make Us .
What struck me is that, even though Billie Jean and Megan were born more than four decades apart, their stories have intersected in some pretty powerful ways.
Billie Jean was outed as a lesbian in 1981. She wasn’t ready to come out yet, and she told me that her lawyer and publicist urged her to deny the allegations, but she refused. “My parents, especially my mother, always used to say, ‘To thine own self, be true.’ That kept pounding on my head,” she said.
So she decided to tell the truth. And she lost millions of dollars in endorsement deals overnight.
As painful and difficult as that moment was, Billie Jean knew that, by being true to herself, she would make it easier for others to do the same. Fast forward to 2012, and that’s exactly what happened when Megan Rapinoe came out right before the London Olympics.
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“I had a more joyous experience with it,” Megan told me. “I don't have a story full of pain and struggle, and I felt comfortable being very joyous about it and talking about it openly.”
Since then, Megan has used her voice to advocate for others, from protesting racial injustice to speaking out for trans youth and athletes . And, of course, Billie Jean continues to build on her own historic legacy of activism and championing women in sports .
As I reflected back on my conversations with Billie Jean and Megan, the more I realized they have something else in common: Instead of shutting out or vilifying those who disagree with them, they strive to understand where other people are coming from. They choose to extend the same grace they want for themselves. And as true team players, they work to build bridges and find allies.
In today’s climate, with so much divisiveness and polarization, that kind of empathy is truly courageous.
You can watch all of these powerful conversations on the "Moments That Make Us" YouTube page.
SGMI Exec. Professor & CEO of Adaptiva Corp. Formerly Director, Institute for Technological Innovation, securing millions in funding at FGCU, including DoD, National Science Foundation & Workforce Innovation grants.
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Currently work as a caretaker for my mother. I'm interested in finding roles related to my degree in Accounting though. I am doing this now for a number of reasons. Feel free to discuss with me and/or ask me questions
2 个月Ms. Gates, I decided if there is anyone that will see there that can actually make an effective change it is you. So I am going to post this on your posts until I get some kind of reply about it. An issue that no one talks about but that urgently needs addressed is regarding birth control. Maybe you can answer this. Why is abortion such an important issue for people but no one addresses that women aren't given the ability to choose to have their tubes tied. I am of the opinion that even if you don't have any kids if you want to get fixed you should be able to. This would help to significantly reduce abortions as well as the need for so much children and youth involvement. This would enable women to prevent unwanted pregnancies. I myself was in my 30s and already had a child and yet I was told I could not get my tubes tied bc "I might want another one one day". Who were they to tell me that? So what happened? A month after I graduated college, at almost 40, I wound up pregnant. Were the doctors that denied going to provide for my child? No they were not. Were their lives going to be put on hold or would they suffer health problems from this? No they would not. Help change this
Regional Executive Director Ohio/IL Centers for Broadcasting Public Affairs/Outreach
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Turbocharge Your Software, Tech Company Revenue and Profits | Business Growth Advisor | Serving Lower Middle Market Companies
2 个月Thank you for this post. I can only speculate on what motivated those that outed Billie Jean, but it probably wasn't done to help her. However, she has used what happened to elevate herself and others, enabling others to have an easier time being themselves. As you have pointed out in another post, women are constantly told that they are not enough, especially as they age. Pile on differences in sexual orientation, race, or other differences, and it just makes it tougher. Here's to working for a world where everyone can be their authentic selves openly (as long as it is not harming others, of course).
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2 个月It’s fascinating how courage manifests differently across generations yet connects through powerful shared experiences. Billie Jean King and Megan Rapinoe’s stories are incredible examples of this. I’m eager to hear more about their insights in your “Moments that Make Us” series.