This is the base of a lot of problems women have in sports. Title 9 was just a start. To be professional and make a living from it is difficult these days especially when we have few venues. Everybody should testify by fax or email to be sure it gets recognized as a viable issue and to let the community know that there are problems with equal access for Women.
HCR278 - REQUESTING THE MAYOR, THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THE DEPARTMENTS OF PARKS AND RECREATION OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT A FAIR AND BALANCED PERMITTING PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT WOMEN SURFERS AND BODYBOARDERS ARE TREATED EQUITABLY IN THEIR APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO CONDUCT SHORE WATER EVENTS THAT INCLUDE SURFING AND BODYBOARDING CONTESTS FOR WOMEN ON OAHU.
WHEREAS, there are many talented and dedicated female surfers and bodyboarders in the State who deserve a chance to participate in a contest of their own at a venue with world class waves and conditions on Oahu; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii women surfers and bodyboarders want and deserve equality in the water; and
WHEREAS, however, women surfers and bodyboarders are often relegated to less desirable wave venues; women's events lose sponsorship to male events or hold their event by sharing a day under a permit issued to a men's event; women's events are moved to smaller waves at the end of the season or the off season and, all too frequently, are denied permits to even hold their event on Oahu; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City and County of Honolulu is responsible for issuing permits to conduct shore water events, which include surf and bodyboard contests; and
WHEREAS, although the City and County of Honolulu has adopted rules relating to conditions for holding surfing and bodyboarding contests on Oahu, it appears that women's events have often been excluded or under-represented in receiving permits to conduct shore water events; and
WHEREAS, for example, for the current year no permits were issued to allow women's surfing or bodyboarding contest on Oahu; and
WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu's permit process for surfing and bodyboarding contests should be conducted more equitably, allowing women in equal opportunity to conduct surfing and bodyboarding events, now, therefore,
BE IT RESOVLED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislative of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Mayor, the City Council, and the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City and County of Honolulu are requested to consult and work together to establish and implement a fair and balanced permitting process to ensure that women surfers and bodyboarders are treated equitably in their applications for permits to hold women's shore water events on Oahu; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in working together to establish and implement a fair and balanced permitting process for shore water events, the Mayor, the City Council, and the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City and County of Honolulu are requested to ensure that the process adopted provide for an annual allocation of thirty per cent of all the permits issued on Oahu for shore water events for women's events; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOVLED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor, the Chairperson of the City Council, and the Director of Parks and Recreation of the City and County of Honolulu.