Born: 28 June 1959, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
Billiards is not typically a sport where one would expect a dress code, but in 1987, player Jean Balukas found herself facing an ultimatum—wear formal attire or don’t play. At the annual B. C. Open, Balukas was planning to compete in both the men’s and women’s divisions, but while the men’s side had no dress code, she was told after arriving that the women were expected to compete in formal dress. Apart from the sexism, she simply hadn’t brought appropriate clothes—because why on earth would she have? She refused to comply, and the other female players voted that she would not be allowed to compete, though she still played in the men’s division. Balukas later described the hurt she felt, that the women—some of them her best friends—would vote to keep her out as she tried to stand up for all of them. There was also speculation that her competitors knew they would have a better chance at the $5,000 prize with her out of the running, though Balukas did not agree. Belinda Bearden, president of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association, later wrote to The New York Times that players had chosen to impose the dress code to improve the image of women’s pool and try to attract more spectators and media attention. Soon after, Balukas told a reporter she was considering leaving the sport, and the following year she retired from professional billiards.