She had the courage to stand up against sexism and bullying, and take on a stronger adversary (KPCB), when many would have just given up. She fights for what she thinks is right, and her fight is empowering all women in tech. If that's not heroism, then I don't know what you need.
I believe you're being downvoted not because people don't believe that what she did was right and needed in our industry but because they don't agree with the "hero" characterization. "Hero" in my book requires some sort of self sacrifice that is squarely against one's own interests (throwing yourself on a grenade to save your comrades, running into a burning building, blowing the whistle on a corporate polluter with no personal gain). In this case, there was $16M at stake in personal gain were she to have won her case and the fact that the jury found in favor of the defense suggests that gender bias was only one aspect of why she was passed over for promotion.
What?