37 Words coming to Korea

July 17, 2022
Book news sexual assault sexual harassment Sports Title IX

Good news — The publisher Wisdom House has licensed the rights to publish a translation of 37 Words in Korea! I’m surprised, I’ll admit. I figured that my history of Title IX and the struggle against sex discrimination in U.S. schools would be of interest only in the United States. I was wrong. Korea has a vibrant feminist movement.

Not only will the book be coming to Korea, but this week Tel Aviv University in Israel held a conference on women in sports featuring a Zoom panel with me and others discussing Title IX. Apparently, some people in Israel feel the country needs something like Title IX there, too. You can watch that, below.

Elsewhere

The Biden Administration’s proposed changes to Title IX regulations have been published in the Congressional Record, which means people have until September 12 to submit comments for consideration before the new regulations are finalized. If you find the idea of filing your own comments intimidating, you may want to sign up for one of three listening sessions being held by Know Your IX, The Every Voice Coalition, and SafeBAE, who will use what they hear to inform their comments on the regulations. The sessions are July 19 for K-12 students and recent gradsuates, and either July 21 or 27 for college and graduate students and recent grads. The president of the Association of Title IX Administrators published some thoughts about the proposed rules, emphasizing that the Title IX requirements are a floor, not a ceiling for the actions needed.

A judge who was appointed by former President Trump temporarily blocked federal guidance under Title IX prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a ruling that may stand until the Education Department finalizes the new Title IX regulations. Meanwhile, ten anti-LGBT laws targeting schools in six states just went into effect, creating confusion about how and if they will be enforced.

Parents of three boys plan to sue the Lamar (Ark.) School District for giving three boys who sexually assaulted their sons what their lawyer described as a mere “slap on the wrist” in punishment — 10 days of suspension and an order to stay away from the alleged victims. A student sued East Stroudsburg (Penn.) University, claiming administrators mishandled sexual harassment and stalking on campus. A jury rejected a Title IX lawsuit by a former porn actress who claimed Southwestern Oregon Community College discriminated against her because of her background, but the jury awarded her $1.7 million for breach of contract. Two ballet dancers sued the University of Cincinnati, alleging that officials protected a male dancer who sexually harassed them instead of helping his victims, violating Title IX. A Stanford University student says she’s still waiting for justice more than nine months after asking the Title IX Office for help because her former boyfriend sexually assaulted her.

The proportion of undergraduates who are women now averages 60% and men are 40%. Some see that as a problem but an insightful and provocative article by the president of Texas Women’s University says they’re making a mountain out of a molehill.

On the up side

The California State University system is changing its policy and will no longer allow administrators who have been fired or are under investigation for misconduct or policy violations to move to tenured faculty positions. A federal court confirmed that schools receiving federal Paycheck Protection Program loans must comply with civil rights laws, including Title IX.

Where you’ll find me

Friday, October 28, 9 a.m. — I’ll be speaking at a Title IX conference at Northwestern University, Chicago.

November 10-12 — I’m looking forward to two appearances at the National Women’s Studies Association conference in Minneapolis. One is a panel session and the other is a Feminist Authors Showcase at which fabulous scholars will discuss 37 Words.

*** Would you like to set up an in-person or Zoom session with me for your organization or book club? Reach me through my Contact page.***

The Post News Group highlighted 37 Words and one of the three main people the book profiles — civil rights attorney Pamela Price. I published an article in the Washington Post’s Made by History section, this one on “The true mother of Title IX. And why it matters now more than ever.” The Christian Science Monitor included 37 Words in two articles — a cover story on “Title IX at 50” and a sidebar examining the racial gap among women athletes in colleges. The Smithsonian Magazine quoted me and my book in its article about Title IX. Women’s Running quoted my book in “A look at LGBTQ Athletes’ Fight for Protections Under Title IX.”

Clean Energy New Hampshire hosted me for a Zoom chat about electric vehicles.

I’m not just a Title IX wonk, you know. My first book was about electric vehicles. So I joined Clean Energy New Hampshire recently for a Zoom discussion about EVs in New Hampshire. You can find my segment starting at the 2:29 time point of this video.

The Guardian mentioned 37 Words prominently in its story on the history of Title IX. Read about the Supreme Court’s history of curtailing Title IX and other civil rights laws in my article in The Washington Post Made by History section. I am delighted that former Chancellor of the University of Illinois, Springfield Susan Koch wrote a glowing review of 37 Words in the Des Moines Register. The Nation magazine published an excerpt from my chapter 5, which introduces Title IX’s application by the movement against sexual violence. The Washington Monthly gave 37 Words a fine review — check it out. The Wall Street Journal published a review of my book and I wrote a Letter to the Editor correcting some misinformation in that review.