A Vermont girls’ high school took off their jerseys during a game on Friday to reveal shirts with the slogan #EqualPay, after scoring their first goal of the night.
The referees issued yellow cards in response to the protest, penalizing the team. According to league rules, players are not allowed to remove their jerseys during a match or wear shirts with slogans on them.
The team’s coach and high school principal were however informed about the protest beforehand and supported the team. The players were inspired to stage this protest following the national attention the gender pay gap drew after the US women’s soccer team won the World Cup but were still paid less than their male counterparts.
“We want to show that we’re all going to stand behind this issue together and we’re going to fight for it together,” said freshmen Lydia Sheeser.
The shirts which cost $25 are on sale and have already been bought by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) and his wife. Men however are encouraged to pay 16% more for the shirts to cover the gender pay gap in Vermont. All proceeds from the sales go to Greater Burlington Girls Soccer League and the Burlington Free Press reports.
Senior Helen Worden said, “It takes everybody to really egg on a movement, so I thought we should help out in any way that we could.”
Source: The Hill 10/20/19, HuffPost 10/20/19
