My daughters signed up this year to play softball through Reid Park Little League in Riverside. Reid Park has 3 multi purpose fields for the children to use, but the league has stated that the "boys" take preference over the girls in the use of 2 of the 3 fields, and the City takes preference on the third field. Reid Park Little League has gone as far as removing our girls off the practice field so that a "boys" team could use it. I have made many phone calls to league officials, Little League officials, and even to the City of Riverside, but the situation remains the same. Can you help us? - Doug & Georgelyn

Thanks for your to FEMINIST.COM. Unfortunately, your story sounds all too familiar. I played soccer throughout my life--and the girls teams were always relegated to the worst fields and to the more sporadic practice times. And the worst part of all is that we thought that was okay, because we believed that "boys were better."

The best way to get the city to respond is probably to go straight to the media. Call a sympathetic reporter with this story or write an op-ed for your local paper. Once the city system is described as "valuing boys over girls" I bet you will get a response. Because there is always power in numbers--perhaps many people could write stories at once and saturate the paper with them.

—Amy