Article author:
Associated Press
Melissa Murphy
New York (AP) — Billie Jean King is a portrait of Patsy Mink, who is considered the "Mother of Title IX" by the United States Capitol. Praised. The 50th anniversary of Title IX.
"She knew the exclusion directly and had her confidence and leadership to challenge and change discrimination through the law," King announced Thursday at the Statue Hall in Washington. Said in the portrait of.
Title IX banned gender discrimination in federal-funded educational programs and activities, enrolled more women in college and expanded their participation in sports. There is still work to be done. Over 1.1 million boys play sports in high school. In 2021, women accounted for 44% of college athletes.
Title IX expert in more than 40 proceedings and former Texas female athlete director Donaro Piano said: "Compliance violation" at department I level. Title IX requires fair scholarships and sports rosters based on the gender ratio of the student population.
For more than half a century, the Gender Equality Champion has won 39 Grand Slam tennis titles and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She recently told the Associated Press about her anniversary. This is her insight, edited and summarized.
AP: In 1972, women could hardly go to college, let alone play sports. What do you remember about the culture when TitleIX was passed?
King: This is a really educational fix, as there was a classroom assignment before 1972. The allocation is 5% of the class, women, and the school will keep people away. If you want to be a doctor in a place like Stanford or Harvard. I was a college student before Title IX and had two jobs. Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith had a full scholarship (to play tennis). The 37 words in Title IX contain the word "activity." That word is the only reason, really, we are playing women's sports. (At that time-Republican Indiana) Senator Birch Bayh said they had little "activity" in the law. As catch-alls, they said, "Let's leave it alone, you never know." Today, 60% of women go to college.
AP: A year later, defeated self-proclaimed showvinist Bobby Riggs in a "battle between men and women" tennis match watched by millions of people on TV. It is famous for that. Why was victory so important?
King: I think it helped push the idea of equality and women's sports and scholarships. It was a social change and we were in the third year of professional tennis. I wanted to change the minds of the country to believe in Title IX and believe that women deserve equality. When I played Bobby, I couldn't get my credit card myself. When we founded the Women's Sports Foundation in 1974, we were the guardian angels of Title IX and said we really had to help to protect it.
AP: Which progress is most obvious and which areas still need work since the passage of Title IX?
King: Probably Title IX helped the white girls in the suburbs the most. In the next 50 years, we really have to focus on getting more and more colored girls. You need to take care of a girl with a disability. I know that many schools are not compliant. The Civil Rights Bureau is supposed to enforce everything. It's very small and not enough people to be a proper police officer.
AP: What do you think of the transgender people participating in the sport?
King: We need to help the LGBT community, especially transgender athletes. I have a lot of inclusions so I want everyone to have the opportunity to play, but I also want to be fair. Some think it shouldn't be allowed at all. I'm always worried that everyone has the opportunity to play and compete. Do not cut and dry. These are the next 50 years, as it is still about equality and equality.
AP: You recently invested in Los Angeles' new professional women's soccer team Angel City FC with Natalie Portman, Mia Hamm and others. Do you think women's ownership is a wave of the future?
King: (wife) Ilana (Kloss) and I went to the first Angel City match, it was great, they sold out. This is the first soccer team run primarily by women, along with Serena (Williams)'s husband (Alexis Ohanian). Absolutely, I want more and more women to be all owners. We are also proud to be a co-owner of the Dodgers. I want to see more professional leagues with softball and ice hockey. I encourage girls to become owners — you have the power and you can make decisions.
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For more information on the impact of Title IX, see the complete AP package:https://apnews.com/hub/title-ixビデオタイムライン：https://www.youtube.com/watch?vNdgNI6BZpw0
