Billie Jean King - Personal Life

Personal Life

Her younger brother Randy Moffitt grew up to become a professional baseball player, pitching for 12 years in the major leagues for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays.

She married Lawrence (Larry) King in Long Beach, California on September 17, 1965. In 1971, she had an abortion because she believed her marriage was not solid enough for her to have a child and the couple divorced in 1987.

By 1968, King realized that she was interested in women, and in 1971, while still married to Lawrence King, she began an intimate relationship with her secretary, Marilyn Barnett. King was forced to acknowledge the relationship when it became public in a May 1981 "palimony" lawsuit filed by Barnett, making King the first prominent professional female athlete known to be a homosexual. King said that she had wanted to retire from competitive tennis in 1981 but could not afford to because of the lawsuit. King said in 1998 that Martina Navratilova was not supportive when King was outed, resulting in their relationship having a "very bad five years."

In 1999, King was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of Philip Morris Incorporated, garnering some criticism from anti-tobacco groups. She no longer serves in that capacity.

King is very involved in the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. She says "I believe in the missions of these two organizations because they are about helping others, and making a difference in the lives of those around us. I’m also serving on the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition because I feel that we have to find a way to keep our country—especially our young people—active."

King played a a judge on Law & Order on April 27, 2007 and appeared on Ugly Betty in May 2009. On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama for her work advocating for the rights of women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. "This is a chance for me – and for the United States of America – to say thank you to some of the finest citizens of this country and of all countries", President Obama said.

King has residences in New York and Chicago with her life partner, Ilana Kloss.