Reply #4: Southerners (and some midwesterners) desire for revenge [View All]

[JDPriestly]

for the Union victory in the Civil war and integration and anti-discrimination laws are the backbone of the Republican Party. That's what keeps them erect so to speak. Roberts condoned discrimination against women. I feel sorry for his daughter and his wife. Charming guy. It's sad to learn that he is a bigot when it comes to women.

The opportunities in competitive women's sports that Title IX have brought have played a significant role in encouraging women to develop healthy attitudes toward their bodies. I say that based on my experience in raising daughters. I required them to participate in high school sports. My oldest daughter, now an adult, continues to be very, very active in sports. I'm so proud of her achievements. She is a doctor, and sports provide an excellent balance in her life. I hope Roberts publicly repudiates the stance he took on Title IX in the Reagan administration.

Wait until Roberts' daughter is a teenager. He is going to find out firsthand how insecure girls are about their bodies, and how their desire to live up to popular stereotypes about female beauty can cause them to do self-destructive things. Maybe then he will understand how important Title IX is. It allows young women to feel identify with active women who are comfortable in their bodies without forcing themselves to match the stereotype. It is no accident that a successful woman like Condoleeza Rice (not that I like her, but she is successful) was an athlete as a child.

A sound mind in a sound body is just as important for women as for men, and competitive women's sports encourages women to develop healthy attitudes toward their bodies.