"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex." ~ERA

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first introduced in Congress in 1923. It was designed to guarantee equal rights under the law for all citizens, regardless of sex, in matters such as employment, divorce, property, etc. The amendment was reintroduced to Congress in the 70s, but it only received support from 35 states by the ratification deadline (38 were necessary). The ERA has been on the back burner of American politics ever since. That is until March of this year, on the 45th anniversary of Congress's submission of the amendment to the States, when Nevada became the 36th state to ratify! Now, with a new deadline to meet the 38 state requirement for ratification, the ERA is back and fighting just as strong as ever.

Illinois is in a spectacular position to be one of the two remaining states needed to ratify. We have enough votes in the Senate, and we just need a handful more in the House. Both Florida and Virginia are watching us closely, meaning if we act now then there is a great chance they will follow our lead. All we need to do is step up.

On Saturday, September 16th, BloNo 4 ERA held a "Rally to Ratify" on ISU's quad. Amongst local leaders such as IL State Representatives Dan Brady and Louis Lang, the President of the League of Women Voters of Illinois, Bonnie Cox, and McLean County Clerk Katy Michael, I also had the privilege to speak. Below is a written copy of my speech (you can also access it as a video here).

I have a lot of peers who frankly don't see a point in the ERA. Women can vote, and isn't that equal enough? I usually respond with something like this:

Daily I navigate a social world that teaches me I can be ambitious, but not too much. I can speak, but not too often. And certainly not too loud. As a woman in this society, I am literally expected to be smaller, cuter, quieter, and less threatening.

The conditions in this country are such that 75% of women struggle with disordered eating. 1 in every 6 has been the victim of attempted or completed rape. Women make up 50.5% of this country, but only 19.6% of Congress. I don't even have to tell you about pay discrimination or glass ceilings.

But history has shown that it often takes national, legal action for cultural change to occur. It took the Supreme Court ruling in July 2015 for many people in this town to even begin recognizing same-sex unions. My point is that the national law in Washington D.C. set the social standard all the way over here in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. So when I think about changing the social world I live in, the first thing I think about is amendments like the ERA.

Even if there's a general consensus in our country that, ideologically, women and men are equal, it's important to have that written on paper, in our constitution.This amendment is needed to keep politicians and employers and everyday citizens accountable to the baseline equality we all claim to believe in.

I'm proud of my country and the work it's put into equality thus far, but there's more work to do. The ERA is our next step. It's time, Illinois. Ratify the ERA.

The ERA will go up in front of Illinois' state congress in late October/early November. That means we have approximately six weeks to let our representatives know that we want them to back the Equal Rights Amendment! Demand equal rights by calling or writing your reps today. The ERA is in need of bipartisan support-- i.e., It is a movement for both Republicans and Democrats, and we must come together to make this happen.