By Ray Cardello for December 26, 2022 Season 15 / Post 16

Title IX was signed into law in 1972 as part of the Education Amendment of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives funding from the federal government. It was designed to level the playing field for women in athletics and sports at all levels of education. It has provided the opportunity for many women to gain access to colleges and universities, especially for advanced degrees. It has also created an explosion in the number of women involved in interscholastic sports. Female participation at the high school level has grown by 1057 percent, and 614 percent at the college level. Sport-related scholarships have also increased proportionately, which has made it possible for more women to pursue college educations. By all accounts, Title IX was a tremendous success.

The Women’s Movement has also significantly impacted advancing women in academics, sports, and business. Things have happened dramatically in the last few years to destroy the advances made over the last five decades, and it makes one wonder where the politicians and women’s groups are in protecting women’s rights. As Title IX turns 50, it may be on life support or worse.

Women appear to be losing the battle with the LGBTQ community. Both are favorites of the Left, but the LGBTQ and WOKE are much stronger, and women are taking it on the chin. Transgender women have added a new level of complexity to the equality issue, with Progressives sitting on the fence. Not taking a stand is how the Progressives look to address the situation. They can hope it will go away, but that is futile thinking.

The fiasco of women’s collegiate swimming will be looked upon as the point that Title IX went into the intensive care unit. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title after finishing first in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event In March. Lia Thomas used to go by the name William Thomas. That was before the male swimmer opted to identify as a female and compete as a women swimmer on the U of Penn Women’s swim team. William was an average swimmer on the men’s team but a champion on the women’s team. Lia Thomas is depriving women of scholarships and more by competing unfairly to make champions losers.

Colleges are not the only level to feel the pain of the WOKE Progressives. High schools are dealing with boys identifying as women and being allowed to use the women’s (girls’) locker rooms. This is setting up an unsafe situation for the biological girls, but schools and school boards are so far giving the nod to those born as boys but identifying as girls. Parents who complain are shut down, and the situation is becoming more common with the lack of decisive action to shut down this nonsense.

Women are by no means weak, but they need our protection from men who think they can put on a women’s bathing suit and declare themself a woman. Men have no place in a woman’s locker room or a woman’s team, period. Women who were denied a victory or record by a male competitor need to be made whole. The NCAA needs to get control of this situation, stop yielding to the WOKE, and preserve women’s athletics.