A high school athlete in Texas is calling out a school after she was reprimanded for what the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas calls a “discriminatory gendered dress code.”
A female cross-country athlete at Spring Woods High School in Texas was recently reprimanded for her decision to train in her sports bra in 100-degree heat. She was not permitted to train in a sports bra, but the school allowed the male athletes to train totally shirtless, according to ACLU.
The athlete objected to this policy and as a result, she was denied an award for being the top runner on the girls’ cross-country team even though she was the team’s top-performing athlete and had never missed a practice.
As a result of the discrimination and the school’s response to her standing up for herself, the ACLU has sent a notice to the school notifying them of their potential violations of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
“I never thought this would come to this point,” the student said in a press release by the ACLU. “I had faith that the people meant to protect us would do so and do right by us. Me stepping forward for my teammates may never benefit me, but it will benefit the next young woman of color that looks like me.”
[ACLUTX]
About Kevin Harrish