Gender equity remains a commonly discussed issue in today’s society. Attendees of tonight’s free program at Solano Community College’s Vallejo campus will learn about the subject as it applies to K-12 and postsecondary education and how to address gender bias when it occurs.

The forum, hosted by the Benicia-Vallejo branch of the American Association of University Women, will specifically discuss Title IX, a section of the United States Education Amendments of 1972, which says that people should not be excluded based on sex from participating in or receiving benefits from programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

“Our mission is to make sure we support the equity and education for all women and girls,” AAUW member Suzanne Antone said.

In March, the organization hosted a screening of the documentary “The Hunting Ground” at Touro University. The film explored sexual assaults on college campuses and discussed how Title IX has been used to provide legal protection for victims.

Antone figured a forum should be held to discuss the law further.

“I thought it would be useful for us to learn from local experts and Title IX coordinators from some of the major educational institutions in Benicia and Vallejo,” she said.

Although Title IX is commonly associated with providing more opportunities for girls in sports, Carolyn Patton, the special services director for Benicia Unified School District, says it goes far beyond that.

It also includes “protection for girls so they have equal access on the college campuses,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s something our community is very much aware of that’s also part of Title IX is protection for girls against sexual harassment, wage equality and things like that where it’s taken a more expansive role.”

Other areas protected by Title IX include providing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs for all genders, college recruitment, admissions, housing, pregnancy, parenting and childcare availability for both single and married students, the gender wage gap after graduation and within university salary structures, and sexual assault.

Patton said Benicia Unified has done its part to address Title IX areas, including holding a STEM camp at Robert Semple Elementary over the summer, co-hosting an internet safety forum with the Benicia Police Department at Benicia High School to address topics like cyberbullying, doing training with administrative staff to address gender issues and monitoring enrollment in Advanced Placement courses.

“There’s no prerequisite required for many of our Advanced Placement classes, so our counselors do a really good job of encouraging both our girls and minority students who tend to not enroll in those classes at the rate that our white boys do,” she said. “They’re reaching out. We’re really proud of that because now our data is showing that we have girls enrolling in our AP classes sometimes higher than our boys.”

Benicia High students have also done their part to raise awareness of the subject, including through the creation of a Gender Equality Club which meets Thursdays at lunch.

The AAUW panel will feature Title IX coordinators from throughout the county, including Robert Gabriel, the dean of the School of Health Sciences at Solano Community College; Ingrid Williams the assistant vice president of Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion, and Administration at California State University Maritime Academy; Kathy Lowe, the director of human resources at Touro University; and Edison Kelly, the coordinator of school support and management at Vallejo City Unified School District. The panel will present scenarios dealing with topics such as equal pay, social media, harassment against women and unconscious bias by professors and teachers.

“I think the first step around any kind of bias, whether it’s gender or racial bias, is to acknowledge that we all have unconscious bias,” Patton said. “Once we acknowledge that and we become aware of our own personal unconscious bias, then we can address it. By modeling that and being upfront about what our biases are and how we address it, then it can help others address their own biases.”

Patton hopes attendees leave with an understanding of the continuing issues that all genders face and the importance of how to speak out when gender bias occurs.

“It’s not something that can not be addressed,” she said. “It is something that’s solvable if we work together.”

Antone hopes to draw a diverse crowd who can learn from the lessons presented.

“One of the important parts for me is we’re going to allow people to understand the importance of being an ally to interrupt prejudicial activity at any level, especially gender,” she said. “Often the energy of misspoken statements and negative action can be persuaded with allies who are people in the dominant group who speak up for the targeted group to fight that prejudice.”

The forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Room 213 at Solano College’s Vallejo campus, located at 545 Columbus Parkway. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, email suzanne@suzanneantone.com.