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Opinion

Letter: Archdiocese's rules should apply equally to all

ISSUE | GENDER EQUALITY Same rules for all The sports headline, "Rule change allows boy-girl match" (Feb. 25) should have more accurately read, "Archdiocese of Philadelphia allows one boy to wrestle a girl to advance his wrestling hopes." Changing a rule for one person - Father

Tatyana Ortiz practices for last weekend's District 12 Class AAA tournament. She lost twice but did not face Father Judge's Tim McCall.
Tatyana Ortiz practices for last weekend's District 12 Class AAA tournament. She lost twice but did not face Father Judge's Tim McCall.Read moreED HILLE / Staff Photographer
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ISSUE | GENDER EQUALITY

Same rules for all

The sports headline, "Rule change allows boy-girl match" (Feb. 25) should have more accurately read, "Archdiocese of Philadelphia allows one boy to wrestle a girl to advance his wrestling hopes." Changing a rule for one person - Father Judge's Tim McCall, who otherwise would have been prohibited from wrestling Mariana Bracetti Academy's Tatyana Ortiz in the District 12 Class AAA individual championships - is not a reason to celebrate. It highlights the obvious. No girls in the Catholic League are allowed to wrestle competitively. There is no change to the rule of exclusion.

In contrast, I had the delight to watch my daughter compete in the Friends League as a middle school wrestler for Abington Friends School. She wrestled boys and girls unless paired with a boy from a nonleague school that would not allow the match. The matches were safe, competitive and well played by both sides.

Equality should be the rule, not the exception.

|Bonnie Libby, Ambler