Enshrine Gender Equality Into Law

Target: Joe Biden, President of the United States

Goal: Recognize Equal Rights Amendment as part of the Constitution.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution established fundamental rights. Yet a long-pursued amendment that would ensure gender equality remains uncertified, despite passing the threshold needed for its ratification. Over 120 legislators have called on the sitting president to help at last make the Equal Rights Amendment the law of the land.

The amendment began its long journey over a century ago, shortly after women finally gained the right to vote courtesy of the 19th Amendment. It would ban discrimination on the basis of sex and establish equal rights for every American. As women fought for rights in matters ranging from employment to securing bank loans over the decades, support for the amendment grew. Under current law, 38 states need to pass an amendment before it is officially ratified. To date, 38 states have passed the Equal Rights Amendment. Unfortunately, not all of these passages came before an arbitrary 1982 Congressional deadline for ratification.

Advocates have called on President Biden to lift this deadline and to allow official publication of the amendment. Sign the petition below to compel action on this long-overdue validation of equal rights.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear President Biden,

“President Biden has been clear that he wants to see the Equal Rights Amendment definitively enshrined in the Constitution. It is long past time that we recognize the clear will of the American people.” Your spokesperson made this statement in response to calls for official publication of the Equal Rights Amendment. Actions matter more than words, however.

The time to act is now. Recognition of gender equality in the United States of America should not be lost once again because of a dictated deadline created five decades ago. This amendment has met the threshold for ratification, and it deserves its place within a document that is supposed to reflect American values. Let this important moment be the last and perhaps the most consequential part of your legacy.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Patty Mooney