Billie Jean King, Sharapova mark Stonewall, Pride

With World Pride underway, which commemorates 50 years of the LGBTQ rights movement (known at the time as gay liberation), some tennis stars are sharing their thoughts.

Indefatigable pioneer Billie Jean King, one of the first professional players to come out of the proverbial closet (though due to details in a lawsuit filing), spoke of progress made—with miles to go.

The Stonewall Uprising of which King speaks took place on June 28 and 29, 1969, when police raids on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, catalyzed reactive violence, arrests, and protests in spades.

Signaling her support for equality and sporting styles from her fashionable friend Victoria Beckham, a Wimbledon-ready Maria Sharapova wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Everyone Deserves Love." She arrived early in London to take part in some Sugarpova-laced events.

Lest a new generation, or all people, forget: Renee Richards blazed a trail all her own, as the first "out" transgender competitor in pro sports. And that was more than 40 years ago.

The Stonewall Uprising in 1969 ultimately included six days of protests, and led to the first LGBTQ Pride parade a year later. With this year's milestone in mind, tennis stars of yesterday and today—and notably of the WTA—saw fit to pay tribute.