Yale’s men’s rowing team got hot showers. The women were sent home freezing in wet clothes.
So 19 women rowers stormed an administrator’s office and stripped in protest.
Thanks to Elizabeth Kim for recommending this one.
Trailer for “A Hero for Daisy”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- On March 3, 1976, the Yale women’s crew made their protest impossible to ignore. They took off their sweats and revealed “TITLE IX” written across their bodies while captain Chris Ernst read a statement demanding equal treatment.
- The protest came after teammate Anne Warner got pneumonia. The team decided complaints weren’t enough. They needed to do something that Yale—and the press—couldn’t ignore.
- The protest made national news, Yale took action, and by the next year the women had their own locker room at the boathouse.
Watch “A Hero for Daisy”
You can find the latest streaming options for “A Hero for Daisy” on JustWatch here.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 93/100
- IMDB Rating: 6.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: No audience or critic score currently listed
Director’s Note: Mary Mazzio directed, wrote and produced “A Hero for Daisy.” Mazzio was an Olympic rower herself. She competed at the 1992 Olympics and knew Chris Ernst through rowing. Ernst told Mazzio the Yale protest story while the two were training together in the 1990s.
Release Date: 1999; remastered in 4K for the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
Other Unique Stuff
- Even the title has a cool backstory. Mazzio named the film for her daughter Daisy. Years later, Daisy Mazzio-Manson went to Yale, became a rower herself, and eventually competed for Team USA.
- One of the 19 protesters, Ginny Gilder, went on to win an Olympic silver medal in 1984. She later became a co-owner of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. Her name is now on Yale’s boathouse.
- Another member of the crew, Mary O’Connor, eventually became head of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Teammate Cathy Pew became a pediatrician and University of Washington clinical faculty member.
Wrap Up:
“A Hero for Daisy” is a great example of why I love short docs. In about 40 minutes, you get sports, history and one unforgettable protest.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc