Separate but Equal?

Mesa Prep won the Arizona state baseball title for the year, because Our Lady of Sorrows forfeited. They didn't want to play a girl.

Our Lady of Sorrows is not a Catholic school. They are run by the Society of St. Pius X, which is an offshoot group who broke off in the 1970's, believing that the Catholic church was not strict enough. One of their basic tenets is that men and women are separate. They are taught separately, and do activities separately.

Mesa Prep's baseball team is mostly boys, but with one girl at second base. When the schools have played in the past, the one female player did sit out. But this was the championship game, and she refused to merely sit out. So Our Lady of Sorrows forfeited. Mesa Prep "won."

She considers herself a serious athlete, and I completely respect her decision. She should, of course, be allowed to play. If this was wrestling, I would understand the boys' discomfort and playing against a woman. Where do you put your hands? I can see it being awkward if you're not used to it. But baseball? What's going to happen? She catches the ball? She throws the ball? She hits the ball?

I applaud this girl for playing with the boys. And I applaud her for standing her ground. I'm sure that wasn't an easy decision. But the bigger question that is always raised by these stories is: can the genders be separated, and still considered equal? My gut reaction is always no. But it seems that no one today even wants to have this discussion. We refuse to see it when it happens right in front of our faces all the time. I'm not sure where to go with this next. Anyone else have a thought?

I want to again stress that the other team was not Catholic. It's an offshoot group with much stricter rules.

Read the full article here.

Child Brides

There was a disturbing case of a young child bride in Afghanistan who was severely abused by her husband's family. They were put in jail.

When this happens, everyone puts their binoculars on the countries that have always practiced this way, and still do. Like India. Click here to see pictures.

But what about our own country?

When we talk about sex slavery, child brides, and human trafficking, it is so easy to demonize those other people, half-way across the world. Meanwhile, we ignore the problem that is happening right next door. LITERALLY NEXT DOOR! Portland, Oregon is the center of US sex trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of American children are forced into prostitution every year. And do not romanticize this: they do NOT choose to be prostitutes.

While the story of the child bride in Afghanistan is awful and heart breaking, do not let that turn into an "us vs them" mentality. We are no better. American girls are in as much danger as Afghan girls, as Indian girls, as Thai girls - BE CAREFUL! Protect yourself. You are loved. You are worthy of real love.