2023 was a year of escalating excitement and wicked concern about the ERA.

January, 2020 the state of Virginia ratified the federal ERA.  With that, the constitutional requirement was met.
(see Centennial for the full story).

The activists and supporters had done the work to get this far. Now there is just one barrier a single signature.  Whose?  The Archivist?  The Office of Legal Counsel?    On January 13, 2022, David Ferriero announced he would retire effective mid-April 2022 after a twelve-year tenure as Archivist of the United States.  Biden appoints Coleen Shogan and she is sworn in,

May 17, 2023. Hope swells that she will sign it.  In fact, she defers to the DOJ, Office of Legal Counsel.

“In a statement, Senator Gillibrand said that Dr. Shogan was “correct that she has a responsibility to uphold the law.” But she added that “by refusing to certify the E.R.A., she is wrongfully inserting herself into a clear constitutional process, despite the fact that her role is purely ministerial.”

We flood every office involved with letters to Ratify and Publish the 28^th Amendment.

Protecting Women’s Rights

Democrats will fight to guarantee equal rights for women, including by ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment and at long last enshrining gender equality in the U.S. Constitution. We will take aggressive action to end pay inequality, including by increasing penalties against companies that discriminate against women and passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Democrats are committed to ending sexual assault, domestic abuse, and other violence against women, including the epidemics of violence against Native American women and transgender women of color.

page 43

Protecting Rights and Freedoms Section (page 17 in some editions)

Civil Rights. We believe in an America where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody plays by the same set of rules. At the core of the Democratic Party is the principle that no one should face discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status. Democrats support our civil rights statutes and we have stepped up enforcement of laws that prohibit discrimination in the workplace and other settings. We are committed to protecting all communities from violence. We are committed to ending racial, ethnic, and religious profiling and requiring federal, state, and local enforcement agencies to take steps to eliminate the practice, and we continue to support enforcement of Title VI. We are committed to equal opportunity for all Americans and to making sure that every American is treated equally under the law.

“Because of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ each time I went off to war, no one was at the armory to say goodbye. No one was waiting at the airport when I returned. My partner, George Di Salvo, and I started a family five years ago by adopting two wonderful boys. But I kept their existence secret, because that’s what the law required. Not anymore, however. Thanks to the unyielding efforts of President Obama, I can serve my country openly and proudly with my family by my side.”—Dr. Vito Imbasciani, Colonel, California National Guard, Medical Service Corps

We are committed to ensuring full equality for women: we reaffirm our support for the Equal Rights Amendment, recommit to enforcing Title IX, support the Paycheck Fairness Act, and will urge ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. We know that putting America back to work is Job One, and we are committed to ensuring that Americans do not face employment discrimination. We support the Employment Non- Discrimination Act because people should not be fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

President Obama and the Democratic Party are committed to ensuring all Americans are treated fairly. This administration hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention and we must continue our work to prevent vicious bullying of young people and support LGBT youth. The President’s record, from ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in full cooperation with our military leadership, to passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to ensuring same-sex couples can visit each other in the hospital, reflects Democrats’ belief that all Americans deserve the same chance to pursue happiness, earn a living, be safe in their communities, serve their country, and take care of the ones they love. The Administration has said that the word ‘family’ in immigration includes LGBT relationships in order to protect bi-national families threatened with deportation.

Women. President Obama—the son of a single mother and the father of two daughters—understands that women aren’t a special interest group. They are more than half of this country, and issues that affect women also affect families. That is why the first bill he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which helps women fight back when they are paid less than men, and why we continue to fight to overcome Republican opposition and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help stop gender discrimination in pay before it starts. And that is why the Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, led by President Obama’s appointees, have investigated and prosecuted numerous violations of the nation’s civil rights laws, and obtained more than $140 million in relief for victims of gender discrimination. We Democrats will continue to support efforts to ensure that workers can combat gender discrimination in the workplace and to protect women against pregnancy discrimination. And that’s why we support passing the Healthy Families Act, broadening the Family and Medical Leave Act, and partnering with states to move toward paid leave.

We understand that economic issues are women’s issues, and the challenges of supporting and raising a family are often primarily a woman’s responsibility. That’s why putting Americans back to work is Job One. That’s why the Affordable Care Act especially helps women by guaranteeing they and their families won’t become uninsured when they lose their jobs. That’s why this administration strengthened Medicare and Medicaid for millions of women and families. And that’s why the Affordable Care Act is ending health insurance discrimination against women, and provides women with free access to preventive care, including prenatal screenings, mammograms, cervical cancer screening, breast-feeding supports, and contraception.

“I know firsthand the injustice of gender discrimination in pay: for years I was paid less than my male colleagues, and it took an anonymous note from a colleague to tip me off to the fact that I was being denied equal pay for equal work. I also know firsthand that President Obama takes these issues seriously: the first bill that he signed into law was focused on making sure that other women don’t face the same injustice. While the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act won’t change my story, I couldn’t be prouder of the legislation that bears my name, and I know who is standing up for women and families.”—Lilly Ledbetter

We understand that women’s rights are civil rights. That’s why we reaffirm our support for the ERA, recommit to enforcing Title IX, and will urge ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. That’s why we are committed to ending violence against women, why Vice President Joe Biden originally wrote and championed the Violence Against Women Act during his time in the Senate, and why we support reauthorizing and strengthening it now.

The President and the Democratic Party believe that women have a right to control their reproductive choices. Democrats support access to affordable family planning services, and President Obama and Democrats will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers. The Affordable Care Act ensures that women have access to contraception in their health insurance plans, and the President has respected the principle of religious liberty. Democrats support evidence-based and age-appropriate sex education.

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:               June 22, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment at an event just outside the Capitol.

“The Equal Rights Amendment is still needed because the only way for women to achieve permanent equality in the U.S. is to write it into the constitution,” Rep. Maloney said. “While it’s been thrilling to see how far women have come in my lifetime, laws can change, government regulations can be weakened, and judicial opinions can shift. Making women’s equality a constitutional right—after Congress passes and 38 states ratify the ERA—would place the United States on record, albeit more than 200 years late, that women are fully equal in the eyes of the law.”

“The WalMart case decided by the Supreme Court this week is a classic example of how far attitudes must still come. The facts of the case support the view that over a million women were systematically denied equal pay by the world’s largest employer,” Maloney said. “While the ERA would apply only to government action, its effect would be sweeping, historic—and long overdue.”

“It is a disgrace that American women are still not constitutionally guaranteed equal rights under the law,” said Menendez. “Women have made tremendous advancements in our society, but we must continue to advance women’s rights by bringing our laws in line with 21st Century values.”

The House bill has 159 original cosponsors, including Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Chair of the Congressional Women’s Caucus, who also attended, saying, “How many times do we need to be reminded that women’s rights are at the mercy of the Supreme Court?  It’s time once and for all to tell American women that regardless of their biology they have equal rights under the Constitution.”

“In the year 2011, it is truly an embarrassment for our nation that we still do not have gender equality enshrined in our Constitution,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY).  “This profound omission undermines our standing as a nation committed to freedom and equality for all.  It is a matter of simple justice and our leadership in the world that we move quickly to rectify this defect.  I am proud to once again join my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, as she reintroduces the Equal Rights Amendment, which would provide a clear and unequivocal statement guaranteeing equal rights for women.”

“Women and men deserve and need full equal rights. Without constitutional equality, too many women, and thereby too many families, are cheated,” said Ellie Smeal, founder of the Feminist Majority. “Americans overwhelmingly support constitutional equality. It is time– in fact, it’s long overdue– for us to move forward. That’s why the Feminist Majority and other women’s organizations are this year going to score cosponsorhip of the ERA as a “yes” vote– failure to co-sponsor this bill will be recorded as a vote against women’s constitutional equality. It’s as simple as that– do you value women as full equal citizens under the law, or not?”

The ERA was first introduced in 1923 as the “Lucretia Mott Amendment” at the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the 1848 Seneca Falls “Declaration of Sentiments,” considered the founding of the women’s rights movement in the U.S.  The ERA came closest to ratification in the 1970’s, when 35 states approved it, falling just three states short of the two-thirds necessary for ratification.

WHO:    Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Chair, Congressional Women’s Caucus
Ellie Smeal, Founder, The Feminist Majority
Susan Scanlan, Director, National Council of Women’s Organizations
and representatives of other major women’s organizations

WHAT:      Reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment

WHERE:    House Triangle on the Capitol grounds (Rain room location: 2456 Rayburn)
WHEN:     12 Noon, Wednesday, June 22, 2011

New York, NY – On Monday, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) will be joined by Lilly Ledbetter and women leaders in declaring that the House leadership’s continuing war on women has gone too far and that it’s past time to make clear that the Constitution guarantees equal rights to women.  Accordingly, Maloney will announce her plans to reintroduce the Equal Rights Amendment.   Lilly Ledbetter’s historic fight to simply receive equal pay for equal work put a spotlight on the substantial economic damage that sex-based discrimination has caused women in the labor force.   The Supreme Court decision in her case made it clear that activist, conservative judges can overturn decades of precedent and laws protecting women from discrimination.

Earlier this year, Justice Scalia opined that the 14^th Amendment guarantee of equal protection does not apply to sex discrimination.  His comments alone make a powerful, compelling argument that a Constitutional amendment is needed to protect women from discrimination.   A Constitutional amendment would be an unassailable guarantee of equality and a symbol that attitudes toward women have changed.

WHAT:  News conference to announce the re-introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment, also known as the Women’s Equality Amendment.

WHEN:           Monday, May 23^rd      10:30am

WHERE:         Pace University Midtown Center, 551 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor, Room 814, videoconference center