Bernice Sandler, the “godmother of Title IX,” said the legislation she helped to write was “the most important step for gender equality since the 19th Amendment gave us the right to vote.” Title IX turned 50 this week, and it hasn’t aged well.

Title IX bans discrimination “under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Buried in the Education Amendments of 1972, the provision was dubbed by ESPN the “37 words that changed everything” for women’s sports. It was initially a boon, opening doors to scholarships and lucrative careers unthinkable before its passage. Yet the march of gender ideology threatens to unravel that progress.