EXPLAINER: What is Title IX and what impact has it had?

Title IX, the law best known for its role in gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses, is turning 50.

It was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972, after being shepherded through Congress in part by Rep. Patsy Mink, a Democrat from Hawaii who was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House.

The law forbids discrimination based on sex in education, and despite its age remains a vital piece in the ongoing push for equality, including in the LGBTQ community.

The statute itself is one sentence long, language that was put together by then-Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana, who died in 2019.

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”