Oct 09, 2007Quickie Link: Bill Tilden: Openly Gay in Sports in 1920
By vanrozenheim
(USA) - As early as the 1920’s tennis legend Bill Tilden had put his mark on Gay sports history. With three Wimbledon titles, seven US open Championships and leading the US Davis Cup team to 7 victories, Tilden was considered by some to be the greatest player to ever grace the court. It was his personal life and his penchant for underage boys, however, that made him a controversial character in the tennis world. Following his arrests, Tilden was all but shunned from the tennis community and was almost written out of the sport's history. However, his accomplishments and his outspokenness did make a profound difference in the game and to the Gay community by not making any apologies for being Gay.
