Before Title IX was enacted, sex discrimination was common in schools. For example, many nursing and military schools often only accepted one sex, which restricted men from the nursing field and women from the military. Other co-ed schools accepted significantly less female students due to gender stereotypes, as Senator Birch Bayh explains, …show more content…
Female college athletic programs received only 2% of the overall sports budget. In addition, fewer girls played sports prior to Title IX. In 1971, less than 300,000 girls played sports, while 3.6 million boys played sports. However, many people opposed Title IX, even after its passage. For example, in the cases of Grove City v Bell and Franklin v Gwinett County Public Schools, court rulings limited the power of Title IX. In the court case of Grove City v. Bell, a court ruled that Title IX did not apply to school athletic programs, except athletic scholarships; however, the Civil Rights Restoration Act overruled the decision and stated that Title IX applied to all programs and activities, including athletics. The ruling of Franklin v Gwinnett County Public Schools stated that Title IX did not include monetary relief. However, when the case went to the Supreme Court, they ruled that “monetary damages are available in cases involving violations of Title IX.” Other court rulings have expanded the reach of Title IX. In Communities for Equity v. Michigan High School Athletic Association (2001), the state athletic association was held liable for discriminating against female sports by scheduling female sports, but not male sports, in inconvenient seasons. This expanded the power of Title IX to cover things not specifically stated in the original …show more content…
Some people claim the protection should be extended while others say the protection should be reduced. Many LBGTQ+ advocacy groups claim that there is not enough explicit protection for LBGTQ+ students under Title IX. Despite recent U.S. Department of Education guidelines regarding transgender students, these groups feel that LBGTQ+ students are discriminated against. Meanwhile, others claim that Title IX is detrimental to school athletic teams. Opponents claim that women do not enjoy sports as much as men, and because Title IX requires the ratio of female-to-male athletes to be similar to the ratio of female-to-male students, many male students are deprived of opportunities to play. Other critics say that prolonged constitutional protection continues an unequal system that prefers women. Another argument is that the dependence on Equal Protection laws hinders women from developing full equality. Nevertheless, court rulings and changes to Title IX have expanded its power since first being signed into effect. The previously stated cases, including Franklin v Gwinett County Public Schools and Communities for Equity v. Michigan High School Athletic Association; the Civil Right Restoration Act; and recent U.S. Department of Education guidelines have expanded the coverage of Title IX in many