Thursday, June 23 is the 50th anniversary of Title IX. The law prevents sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding.
Patricia "Trish" Bostrom of Mercer Island grew up in a world without this protection. She was a nationally-ranked tennis player in the 1970s who even faced off against Billie Jean King.
But, arguably, her biggest battles were for the right to play in the first place. Growing up in West Seattle, Bostrom did drills with her high school's tennis team but was not allowed to play because she was a girl.
Bostrom even successfully sued the University of Washington after observing extreme disparities between the men's and women's tennis programs. In the same year she graduated from UW, Title IX passed and began to pave the way for more equitable sports opportunities for women.
After her professional tennis career, Bostrom became a lawyer and was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1987. She urges women of all ages to have courage and to speak out.
In this special installment of our "Going Deep" series, Bostrom talked with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about playing sports in a pre-Title IX world, and her role in making that world more equitable. Listen above.
