Making a Stand Against Gender Discrimination: Do You Recognize These 4 Title IX Cases?
Gender discrimination has been going on for millennia, but the outdated practice is now illegal in the United States.
Title IX, the federal civil rights law that was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, defines gender discrimination as basically any discrimination or harassment regarding one’s gender or gender identity.
Because of Title IX, any type of gender-based bullying, sexist remarks or derogatory comments, or gender discrimination of any kind is prohibited. This includes environments such as athletics, classrooms, offices, and any programs.
Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment in any form, such as unwanted sexual behavior or advances, unwanted sexual conduct, offensive sexual remarks, and harassment of any sexual nature.
Sexual violence, retaliation against accusers who report sexual harassment, and hostile environments due to discrimination is also illegal.
Unfortunately, making it illegal does not stop it from occurring.
Here are four examples of famous Title IX gender discrimination cases you may be familiar with.
Famous Title IX Cases
- North Haven Board of Ed v. Bell, 456 U.S. 512 (1982).
One of the first Title IX cases, this case followed a teacher who took leave for a pregnancy and then was not rehired after her leave was over.
She filed a lawsuit for sexual discrimination, and the Department of Education (DOE) got involved. The school refused to comply with the DOE’s request, and the case made it to the Supreme Court.
The ruling was that per Title IX, sexual discrimination is prohibited in employment, including pregnancy leave.
- Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools, 503 U.S. 60 (1992)
In this case, a high school student accused a teacher of ongoing sexual harassment and filed for damages, even after the teacher had resigned and the school had closed its investigation.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, however, was that any plaintiff who files a Title IX lawsuit and can prove intentional discrimination is entitled to monetary compensation.
- Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, 526 U.S. 629 (1999)
This case pertained to an elementary student’s sexual harassment of La Shonda Davis. The suit was filed by her family accusing the school of not taking the harassment seriously and refusing to do anything to stop it.
This case resulted in the Supreme Court’s ruling that a school is liable under Title IX for any student-to-student harassment that occurs if the school is notified of the behavior and does not stop it.
- Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education, 544 U.S. 167 (2005).
A different perspective was presented in this case when a teacher/ high school basketball coach, Roderick Jackson, was fired for complaining that his girls’ team was not being treated equally to the boys’ basketball team.
He filed a lawsuit, and the Supreme Court ruled that this was a case of retaliation and prohibited retaliation under Title IX.
Gender Discrimination Continues in the 21st Century
The Title IX lawsuits cover a wide array of discrimination, but it still continues.
Victims of gender discrimination often find themselves turning to an expert attorney, like Duffy Law, for help stopping the unwanted harassment or behavior.
If you find yourself on the receiving end of any unwanted gender discrimination as discussed above, hiring an attorney to hold the offender responsible can stop further behavior from happening to you and others, and you may be entitled to monetary compensation as well.
Have you had any experiences with gender discrimination?
