Yesterday, House and Senate Democrats reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment, under a new name– the Women’s Equality Amendment — and vowed to bring it to a vote in both chambers before the end of the session.
About goddamned time. It only came three states short of ratification in 1982 — it’s long since past time to get this thing done.
Guess who’s against it? That’s right — the Republicans (who wanted to amend the Constitution to protect a piece of cloth, and amend it again to deny same-sex marriage). The right-wing blogs are going nuts, and 1970s wingnut antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly is flying around giving speeches about how the amendment would compel courts to approve same-sex marriages. (She’s the same kook who ranted about how it would cause women to be drafted into the military and lead to the proliferation of unisex public bathrooms, back in the 70s).
It’s the 21st Century, and I cannot believe that we’re still debating with these ignorant fundamentalist assholes that the following phrase is right, and deserves to have the force of law behind it:
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
I remember going to ERA rallies with my mom and her college friends when I was a wee little girl. I remember all the very nice women who would come up to me and say “Hi! It’s great that your mommy brings you to these!” I remember them telling me that it was important for me to register to vote when I grew up and that I would have the opportunity to be whatever I wanted to be, because I was “just as good as anyone else!”
I know at the time women supporting the ERA were seen as childhating lesbian sociopaths, but in reality, the ones I met were thrilled at the notion of the next generation having equal treatment.