Billie Jean King Comic Banned At Texas School As It Mentions Her Wife

Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Billy Jean King, brad meltzer, Chris Eliopoulos

Billie Jean King comic book by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos banned at a Texas school, because it mentions her wife

The Board of Trustees of the Conroe Independent School District in Montgomery County, Texas has upheld a parental grievance that will keep the children’s comic book I Am Billie Jean King out of their elementary school libraries because it mentions the tennis player’s female partner.

Written by Justice League writer Brad Meltzer and drawn by Chris Eliopoulos in 2019 as part of their Ordinary People Change the World series, numbering over sixty volume now, I Am Billie Jean King is a biography that tells the story of King and her fight against sexism in tennis, leading to the creation of the Women’s Tennis Association as well as her 1973 win over Bobby Riggs. It also mentions her wife Ilana Kloss.

Trustee Melissa Semmler is quoted as saying “It is developmentally inappropriate to provide explicit explanations of sexual orientation and adult marital relationships to this age group. Additionally, the book’s description does not provide parents with notice that it includes content about sexual orientation or gender identity. While this book looks at the story of an inspiring woman, this does not negate the developmentally inappropriate concepts contained in the story.” There have however been no complaints or bans against other books in the line which feature someone married to another person of the opposite gender.

The book’s artist Christopher Eliopoulos writes “A school district in Houston has banned our book, I Am Billie Jean King. I can’t tell you how upset this makes me. One person gets to deny the story of a true hero all because we mention who she is and who she loves. You don’t want your kids “exposed” to life’s realities? You want to indoctrinate your kids? You want to deny the truth? Do that for yourself and your kids, don’t subject others to your narrow-minded view of the world. This just goes to show what an amazing hero King is. Think how brave it was for her to come out in a time where it was stigmatized. Now realize that there are still people out there still doing that and denying others of the chance to learn and grow as humans. This has gone too far. There is a better way. We can all be better. Empathy, kindness, giving, sharing, loving and accepting people for who they are and what they stand for without judgement or bigotry. As these books say, you can change the world. So, let’s all get out there and change it for the better.”

The Conroe Independent School District are not the only schools who have banned the book, as both the Lexington-Richland School District Five in South Carolina and Leon County Schools in Florida removed the book from their shelves, though this was later reversed.

I am Billie Jean King (Ordinary People Change the World)
Billie Jean King is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Read about this amazing woman athlete in the seventeenth picture book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about heroes. This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great–the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero’s childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume features Billie Jean King, the world champion tennis player who fought successfully for women’s rights. From a young age, Billie Jean King loved sports—especially tennis! But as she got older, she realized that plenty of people, even respected male athletes, didn’t take women athletes seriously. She set to prove them wrong and show girls everywhere that sports are for everyone, regardless of gender. This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are:
• A timeline of key events in the hero’s history
• Photos that bring the story more fully to life
• Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable
• Childhood moments that influenced the hero
• Facts that make great conversation-starters
• A virtue this person embodies: Billie Jean King’s determination opened the door for countless other atheletes. You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!

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