To: The National Forensics Association

We the undersigned as judges, coaches, spectators, present competitors and alumni of the activity call upon you to address the success gap within competitive forensics. Women in forensics deserve equal treatment and an equal chance for success in this activity, but this is not what they are given. Currently, women are significantly less likely to break to an outround in an event relative to their participation in an event. For example, this means that though women made up 53% of the competitors in Dramatic Interpretation at the 2011 AFA-NIET, they were only 37% of the participants in outrounds. This discrimination persists because of unchecked norms in our activity that give men and male voices a perceptual advantage. Only through national action can we as a community recognize and address this bias. The NFA has led the charge to bring people from all backgrounds and lifestyles into competitive forensics and has a proven track record of bringing national attention to issues of discrimination and exclusion within the activity. We call upon you to bring this legacy to bear upon the current success gap women face in the activity. Encourage scholarship on this gap and its causes, craft programs that educate judges about the types of gendered biases they may posses, and make this success gap part of the national discussion within our community. Together under your leadership, we as a community can move past this harmful form of modern discrimination. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours,

Sponsor

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