Equity in Sports Act Collections Open for Research in the Women’s Collection
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal funds. In Georgia, the Equity in Sports Act, sponsored by Representatives Kathy Ashe and Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, further solidified Title IX requirements by providing for additional reporting and enforcement at the state level. The Equity in Sports Act was signed into law by Governor Roy Barnes on March 15, 2000, effective July 1, 2000.
The following two collections document the Equity in Sports Act and are now available for research in the Special Collections Department:
Anne L. Harper Papers, 1979-1980; 1995-2004
Stephanie Stuckey Benfield Equity in Sports Act Records, 1975-2007 [bulk 1999-2000]
Anne L. Harper Papers, 1979-1980; 1995-2004
As a member of the Atlanta Board of Education, Anne Harper advocated for increased opportunities for girls in the Atlanta Public School System. She launched the effort to draft the Equity in Sports Act, a state bill that would mirror the federal Title IX law and provide enforcement of its regulations in Georgia’s high schools. Harper founded the Coalition for Gender Equity in Sports (CGES) to advocate for and monitor the implementation of the law.
The Anne L. Harper Papers document efforts to draft the 2000 Equity in Sports Act. Files include copies of draft bills, meeting notes, related articles and editorials, and documents recording initiatives to promote Title IX. The collection contains information on the Coalition for Gender Equity in Sports (CGES) including the by-laws, membership forms, and notes on planned activities. Also included is statistical information regarding school athletics, particularly in Atlanta, and in general around Georgia.
Stephanie Stuckey Benfield Equity in Sports Act Records, 1975-2007 [bulk 1999-2000]
Stephanie Stuckey Benfield is the representative for the 85th District of Georgia. First elected in 1998, she is a native Georgian and the third generation of her family to be in public service in Georgia. Representative Stuckey Benfield has authored legislation to lower property taxes on seniors, mandate equal treatment for girls’ pubic school athletic programs, provide access to medical records, and reform child custody law.
The Stephanie Stuckey Benfield Equity in Sports Act Records consist of background material consulted while she drafted and co-sponsored the Equity in Sports Act. Also included are meeting notes, promotional material, mark ups of the bill, copies of numerous news articles and editorials, letters of support from constituents and others in government, letters from organizations affected by the legislation, and letters from legal counsel about specific provisions of the bill. The collection contains the results of a survey of Georgia voters about the issue of gender equity in sports and a small amount of materials about previous efforts in Georgia to pass legislation in the area.