Learn About Gender Equity for Girls in School & Community Sports: Title IX & AB 2404

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• published: 30 Jul 2015
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Title IX & AB 2404 (Fair Play in Community Sports Act) Short video re: girls' rights to gender equity in school and park and recreation athletic programs - watch & share today! Contact us for more info: http://las-elc.org/fair-play-for-girls-in-sports Thank you to the WLALA Foundation (Funded by Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Foundation) for making this production possible. Transcript • Gender equity in sports is required by law. • Know AND EXERCISE your rights! • Why does this matter? Did you know that... • Overall, girls who play sports get better grades and have higher scores on standardized tests than non-athletes. • And athletes are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college than those who don’t play sports. • Research shows, once they start working, girls who play sports in high school go on to earn 7% more than their non-athlete peers. • It’s really important for me to see gender equity in sports. Especially comparing myself and some boy relatives that I have that have gone on to play collegiate athletics. I feel myself saying I can do that, but I’m going to do that on the women’s side of things. I can get the same equipment, I can play at the same facilities, work out at the same facilities, that is my goal. And with title IX, I can do that. • I cannot imagine my life without sports. I would say it would be incomplete; there would be something missing. Having physical activity, having a set time where you do things, it helps you with structure. It just helps regulate my life. • I definitely want to play sports just as much as my brother wants to. Just because we’re different genders doesn’t make anything different. • Title IX is a federal law that applies in California and throughout the nation that says there can be no discrimination based on gender in public schools. • This means no unequal treatment of boys and girls, in educational programs, including athletics. • The law applies to all public elementary, middle, and high schools, including charter schools, colleges and universities. • The law requires looking at the entire athletic program, not just one or two teams, to see whether girls and boys have equal treatment and benefits throughout the program. • For example, girls and boys must have equal: o Field quality o Gyms and locker rooms o Quality and number of coaches o Equipment o Scheduling of games and practice times • The law requires schools to oversee booster clubs, sports fundraising, and donations to ensure equal resources are enjoyed by girls and boys teams alike. • Boys and girls must have equal participation in school sports. • So if there are 1000 students at a school, 500 girls and 500 boys, and 100 students play on school sports teams, then 50 of those students playing sports must be girls and 50 must be boys. • The law also prohibits retaliation against a student, parent, or coach, for example, who talks about Title IX or requests equity in their school sports program. • If you talk to someone, like a principal, because you think your school isn’t following Title IX, you shouldn’t be disciplined for taking action. • Another important law for equity among girls and boys in sports is AB 2404, the Fair Play in Community Sports Act. • The Fair Play Act is a CA law similar to title IX that requires equal treatment of girls and boys in community youth competitive athletics programs hosted by Parks & Rec Departments of California. • The Fair Play Act also applies to private sports programs that use park & rec facilities, like club soccer. • Look around. Does your school or park program treat girls equally in comparison to boys? • If you see inequality in your sports program, take action and speak up! • Gender equity in sports is required by law! • If you need help you can contact: Fair Play for Girls in Sports, a project of the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center