Dear Friends—
Forty-eight years ago this week, amendments to the Higher Education Act were passed by Congress and signed into law by President Richard Nixon. While the amendments cover many different issues within higher education, the legislation became famous for a provision known as “Title IX.” Title IX includes a particular phrase which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute; 20 U.S. Code § 1681 – Sex).
This Title IX statement has been the basis for the vast majority of women’s sports programs in the nation today. In 1972, there were just 30,000 women participating in NCAA sports, as opposed to 170,000 men, and the number of collegiate sports’ scholarships given to men was almost 6 to 1.
Over the past 48 years, the number of women participating in NCAA athletic programs has multiplied five-fold. Today, more girls are able to access scholarships and other benefits associated with girls’ sports than ever before. However, all the work to provide opportunities for girls to benefit from their own sports programs is now under threat from some who wish to allow biological men to take advantage of opportunities reserved for women.
When men are allowed to play in girls’ sports divisions, girls can have championships, scholarships, and other elite opportunities stripped away. Therefore, as a father with a young daughter, I am pleased to report that Family Policy Alliance of New Mexico® is working together with our national allies to support the national #SaveGirlsSports campaign.
Recently, Idaho passed important legislation to ensure that the promise of Title IX will not be washed away with boys taking over girls’ sports and seizing the awards and scholarships young women have worked hard to earn. However, this legislation is now under attack by the ACLU and others, and we need your help to push back.
This week is Save Girls’ Sports Week across the nation, and this is what you can do to help #SaveGirlsSports:
1. Please post on your social media accounts and use the #SaveGirlsSports hashtag. If you are or were a female athlete, we encourage you to share a photo or story about why this issue matters to you. Not a female athlete? Please post in support of female athletes and in support of fairness. Just remember to use #SaveGirlsSports. You can also change your Facebook profile picture to support the campaign. Add the #SaveGirlsSports frame to your profile picture in a few simple steps. Simply go to your profile on the Facebook app; tap the camera icon on your profile picture; then tap “Add Frame” and search for #SaveGirlsSports.
2. Please click here to sign our petition to lawmakers asking them to support laws like Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. Idaho may be the first state to Save Girls’ Sports, but it cannot be the last.
3. Please forward this email to everyone you know who may be interested in participating. It may be a female athlete or their friends and family. It may be another concerned citizen, or even an organization or local group you are part of.
4. Please consider sending a gift to support our efforts in this endeavor and others in New Mexico. As we shared last week, we need to raise an additional $5,000 by June 30. Thanks to the generosity of ministry partners like you, we are 25% of the way there. So if you recognize the importance of our work and have not yet given, please partner with us today by clicking here!
Blessings,
Vince Torres
President & Executive Director
