Welcome back, everyone! This month, we'll be focusing on an important queer figure in a different way. Rather than covering someone making loads of headlines in more current times, we'll be going back just a bit into recent history. This month, we'll be discussing Billie Jean King!

King was one of the United States' best tennis players, winning 39 Grand Slam titles, being named the best U.S. tennis player at one point, and being the U.S. captain in the Federation Cup. However, King was also a huge advocate for gender equality and justice, being a huge proponent of women's rights and LGBTQ+ rights.

Despite being publicly outed as a lesbian in 1981, King was true to herself and could not bring herself to deny the truth and her identity to sate the press. This cost her many endorsement deals, but that didn't stop her from being proud of who she was and further exploring herself. Though she wasn't comfortable speaking about being a lesbian for some time, she stayed resilient in her athletic career and outreach.

Since then, King has been an inspiration to the community and aspires to do good for younger generations. She has raised money in the fight against AIDS, towards reducing homophobia in the classroom, and towards lowering LGBTQ+ teen suicide rates, as well as many other issues.

King was also portrayed by Emma Stone in the 2017 film Battle of the Sexes about the legendary tennis match, often referenced by the same name as the film, where Billie Jean King defeated the number one player of the 1940s, Bobby Riggs. King was then able to claim the title of number one in the tennis world, overturning gender stereotypes in sports.

Though much of what King has done is now in the past, she is still doing good for the world at 79 years old. She has stayed committed to making a difference and creating a world more accepting of the queer community, especially hoping that no one else would have to go through what she did when coming out. Billie Jean King continues to be an icon and a prominent figure, making change.

Thank you for going on this journey with us through some recent history and a story that is continuing into modern times. We hope to see you at our next installment of LGBTQ+ Focus! Until then, stay safe and stay inspired! Be true to yourself as much as you can.

If you read our twenty-fourth issue, you may have noticed that I really love murals. They are such a wonderful way to display LGBTQ+ pride in public and to bring awareness to different identities. And if that wasn't enough, they can also help with representation of the community! For this issue, I would like to highlight the 'Altri Colori' mural.

The 'Other Colors' or 'Altri Colori' mural is located in Florence, Italy on the Palarotelle building. This building is a roller skating rink that has a history of many athletes training there. Now, athletes use it to train competitively as well as recreationally. There are programs for youth and children as young as four years old. It is so special that young children see this mural every day, and I hope they are taught the meaning behind it. Spreading awareness and educating children about the LGBTQ+ community as early as possible is so important for those who will identify as part of the community and those who are allies in the making!

In collaboration with Street Levels Gallery, A Testa Alta ETS, Arcigay Firenze, and Altre Sponde APS, Luchadora created this mural for Pride Month 2021. Included in the mural design itself are many flags representing LGBTQ+ identities. To name a few, the trans flag, pan flag, and pride flag can be seen in the mural. This extra representation of different identities is another reason why this mural is so wonderful.

I hope you found this interesting and that you'll take a look at the mural yourself. While it is not a very famous mural, it does make a difference! It is inspiring to see that more and more murals like this are being created to celebrate, recognize, and bring awareness to our beautiful LGBTQ+ community.