Lindsay Baker

Title IX (1972) is an American law that made it illegal for institutions receiving federal funding, such as universities and high schools, to discriminate based on sex. In the United States, sports are usually connected to schools. Consequently, the enactment of this law dramatically increased female participation in athletics and gave women a tool to petition for greater equality within sports. While this is just an American law affecting school sports, a boom in women’s athletics has been experienced globally since the 1970s.

I have collected stories from my mom and her friends about how they navigated their athletic experiences before, during and right after Title IX was passed. These stories of microactivism from players and coaches form the basis of my degree project, a collection of illustrated ephemera that highlights the historic struggle for gender equity in sports while also encouraging viewers to imagine the possibilities for a more equal future.