Why this petition matters:

For far too long, millions of Americans have lived without full, explicit protection from discrimination under federal law simply because of who they are or whom they love.Women still earn 84 cents for every dollar a man earns and can be fired in dozens of states simply for being pregnant, and have no permanent constitutional guarantee of equal rights. 

LGBTQ+ Americans can be denied housing, credit, education, public accommodations, and even jury service in a majority of states with no federal recourse.

People of color, religious minorities, and people with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers that a patchwork of state laws and narrow court rulings cannot fully fix.

We are the only major democracy on Earth that has never enshrined sex equality in its constitution, and one of the few that still allows broad discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

Two pieces of legislation can end this injustice.

Equality act

This bipartisan-supported bill would finally amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex (including pregnancy, sexual stereotypes, and sex characteristics) in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service. It has passed the House twice with Republican votes, yet remains stalled in the Senate.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

First passed by Congress in 1972 with overwhelming bipartisan support, the ERA simply states:

“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex"

The Equal Rights Amendment is the Law of the Lan

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects the equality of rights under the law regardless of sex. While the ERA is fully ratified and was recognized by a US President as the law of the land, it has yet to be officially published in the Constitution. Advocates were instrumental in achieving constitutional sex equality and will be instrumental in ensuring its enforcement. Today, we need the ERA printed in the Constitution where it rightfully belongs. 

Publishing the ERA would make sex equality (and stronger protections against discrimination for women and LGBTQ+ people) a permanent part of the U.S. Constitution. 

Passing the Equality Act and publishing the ERA are not radical ideas—they are the fulfillment of America’s promise that every person is created equal.When we enshrine these protections in federal law and in our Constitution:

A transgender student can go to school without fear of being turned away. 

A same-sex couple can rent an apartment without being rejected because of who they love.

A woman can take maternity leave without risking her job.

A qualified person of color or person with a disability gets a fair shot at a bank loan or a seat on a jujury

This is not about special rights. This is about equal rights.More than 70% of Americans support the Equality Act.

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe sex equality belongs in the Constitution.The time for excuses is over.

We call on:The U.S. Senate to pass the Equality Act immediately and send it to the President’s desk. 

The President and Congress to remove the expired deadline and publish the already-ratified Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Sign this petition to tell our leaders:

Equality cannot wait any longer.

Pass the Equality Act. Ratify the ERA. Make equal justice under law a reality for every American—no exceptions, no delays, no compromises 

 

League of women voters

https://www.lwv.org/blog/equal-rights-amendment-law-land-0

Relizing sex equality 

https://bwlc-era.org/research/mpa

Pass the Equality act -

https://marshap.org/equality-act/