I encourage you to join me in pushing President Biden to certify the ERA and do everything he can to make it the 28th amendment before January 20.
I’ll never forget sitting in a crowded college auditorium around 1983, one of the few students in the crowd. Phyllis Schlafly had bussed in hundreds of her supporters to watch her debate Eleanor Smeal, then head of the National Organization of Women. Like lions circling their kill, fembots descended on me, trying to persuade me feminists were all lesbian baby killers. Likely born a feminist, I embraced the title at that event.
Schlafly had become famous for vehemently opposing the Equal Rights Amendment with her movement STOP ERA. (Here are Ms. Schlafly and Ms. Smeal debating in 2000.)
First introduced in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972, the ERA declares:
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Over 85% of countries legally protect gender equality through their constitutions or legal frameworks, according to the World Policy Analysis Center.
The United States is one of the few democracies without a constitutional guarantee of equal rights. And the ERA has broad bipartisan support. It took until 2020 to get 3/4 of states to ratify the ERA as an amendment…and now only one man stands in the way: President Biden.
Gender equality is currently addressed through a patchwork of easily overturned laws and judicial interpretations. The ERA would create a permanent, overarching constitutional guarantee of equality, making it harder to roll back protections. It could close the wage gap, provide better access to education, strengthen workplace protections, combat gender-based violence, protect reproductive health, ensure fair representation, and address intersectional discrimination.
The ERA is good for everyone, not just women and girls, by:
Promoting fairness and equality for all, ensuring no one will be disadvantaged because of their gender…also protecting men from gender-based discrimination in family law, workplace policies, and education.
Strengthening laws addressing gender-based violence, benefiting everyone by creating a safer society.
Helping protect LGBTQIA+ individuals, as many forms of discrimination are rooted in gender norms.
Encouraging shared responsibilities in families by reducing the expectation that women shoulder the majority of unpaid caregiving and domestic work and that men should fulfill the sole "breadwinner" role.
Strengthening national unity and economic growth by enshrining fairness and inclusion as core American values. Studies show that reducing gender inequality boosts economic productivity and innovation.
By adopting the ERA, the U.S. would take a decisive step toward ensuring that all individuals—regardless of gender—can live free from discrimination and enjoy equal opportunities.
Got objections or questions? Read Kay Coughlin’s excellent writing on this topic.
The League of Women Voters makes it super easy for you to contact President Biden and VP Kamala Harris via a simple email form. Do it today, and do it every day until January 19/20!
As the Daily Kos writes, “what would Jimmy (and Rosalynn) do?”
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