The law became part of the Education Amendments of 1972 on June 23, 1972. Late Reps. Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii), Edith Green (D-Ore.), and the late Sen. Birch Bayh (D-Ind.) helped push the cause through Congress. Their work opened doors for women in classrooms, labs, scholarships, locker rooms, and athletic programs that had long treated female opportunity like a favor instead of a right.