The ACLU has weighed in on behalf of a Central Ohio girl who has been refused a place on her middle school's football team because of her gender.
Seventh-grader Makhaela Jenkins was refused a spot on the teams active roster because of a policy in the Liberty Union-Thurston that bans girls from playing contact sports like football and wrestling. ACLU attorney Jennifer Martinez Atzberger says the district is using 'outdated and untrue stereotypes', and that federal courts in Ohio have specified that if a girl wants to play football, and there is no equivalent team for girls, she must be permitted to play on the boys teams. Liberty Union-Thurston board members have not publicly responded to the ACLU's letter.
