The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees equal legal rights for all American citizens, without regard to sex or gender.

The ERA was passed by Congress with well over the required 2/3 majority vote and sent to the states in 1972. Virginia became the 38th – and last needed – state to meet the three-quarter state ratification requirement in 2020. The ERA has satisfied all requirements to be added to the Constitution as the 28th Amendment.

And still, it has yet to be added to our Constitution. Recognizing the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would influence the legal tone and decisions regarding gender equal rights, protecting gender equality in discrimination cases brought forth over time. The ERA is needed to constitutionally ensure that the foundations and freedoms of our democracy apply equally to all genders. In just 24 words, it reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."

On March 17, 2021, with bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.J. Res 17, removing a time limit on the ERA ratification process. Now, it is up to the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Schumer has yet to schedule a vote on SJ Res 1 – the Senate version of the resolution passed in the House.

The arbitrary time limit in the amendment’s introductory clause remains an obstacle standing in the way of recognizing gender equality in the Constitution, and the Senate can vote to remove this obstruction.

Join us in demanding Leader Schumer stop holding up progress and schedule a vote on the resolution. The ERA has met the requirements for becoming the 28th Amendment, now it’s time to officially add it to the Constitution.

Sign the petition to Leader Schumer: Schedule a vote on the Equal Rights Amendment.