How This Sex Descrimination Case In Hawaii Could Affect Female Athletes Everywhere

In October 2023, a federal district court in Hawaii is scheduled to hear a class action lawsuit filed against the state’s largest public school, James Campbell High School, by some of its students. After allegations surfaced that the school’s girls sports teams were significantly underfunded and undervalued, students claimed Campbell violated Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in public schools or any program that receives federal funding.

According to The New York Times, girls teams at the school didn’t have locker rooms and weren’t given funds to spend the night at away games, rushing back to catch a bus or plane immediately after matches. This lack of resources forced girls to carry their equipment on their backs, change their clothes on the bleachers, or relieve themselves in bushes and nearby fast-food restaurants. Some female athletes even reported drinking less water to prevent having to go to the bathroom, a dangerous move in Hawaii’s hot climate.

The Times reports the lawsuit also alleges that Campbell punished girls for speaking out. This retaliation included canceling half of the women’s water polo season with the excuse that key paperwork was missing, though players claim they had already submitted the forms. The Hawaii Department of Education said via court documents that education officials made the “required reasonable efforts to accommodate plaintiffs.”

This class-action lawsuit could make major waves for gender equality in school sports. The Times called it a “wider stress test for the promises and responsibilities of Title IX,” meaning that if Campbell is found to be at fault and punished accordingly, it could deter other schools from ignoring Title IX guidelines.

However, the disenfranchisement of Chambers students is symptomatic of a much larger problem plaguing sports at all levels; blatant sexism persists at the college and professional levels, too. Women’s basketball players competing in the NCAA championship, the pinnacle of college basketball, were recently provided with subpar weight rooms, food options, and COVID testing relative to their male peers. The league didn’t even use the well-known moniker “March Madness” to promote the women’s games. USA Today reported that an independent law firm hired to conduct a review confirmed in an internal report that the NCAA “prioritizes men’s basketball, contributing to gender inequity” while “significantly undervaluing women’s basketball as an asset.”

A lack of resources for WNBA players has resulted in serious consequences at the professional level. When Brittney Griner, a star center for the Phoenix Mercury, was imprisoned in Russia earlier this year over marijuana possession, many pointed out that WNBA players go overseas because the pay is significantly better than in the States. One writer for The Globe and Mail put it simply: “[Griner] is one of the best players in the game … and, yet, despite all this, she earns a fraction of their income and public attention. When it seems like the world has forgotten Griner and her horrific ordeal, it bears asking: ‘Would she be facing nearly a decade in prison in Russia if she were a male athlete?’”

Despite the continuing struggles for gender parity, some efforts to bring resources to women’s sports have prevailed. In May, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) reached a deal with the U.S. Soccer Federation that would give them equal pay with the men’s team. The federation agreed that the men’s and women’s teams would pool prize money and split it equally. Previously, performance and World Cup bonuses put the finances of the two teams in stark contrast. ESPN reported the men’s team could earn $2.5 million for qualifying for the World Cup while the women’s team would earn only $750,000 for the same accomplishment. What’s more, the U.S. Women’s National Team has won four World Cups and four Olympic gold medals, while the men’s team has won zero.

Celebrating their bargaining victory, USWNT player Becky Sauerbrunn said in a statement, “We hope that this Agreement and its historic achievements in not only providing for equal pay but also in improving the training and playing environment for national team players will similarly serve as the foundation for continued growth of women’s soccer both in the United States and abroad.”

While there is clearly still a long road ahead for female athletes to achieve the respect they deserve, the USWNT’s win makes it clear that any victory in the fight for equality, even for a high school water polo team, increases the possibilities for women athletes everywhere.