Pass an Equal Rights Amendment

Act Now

Our New York State Constitution is wholly inadequate when it comes to ensuring equality. With so much of the country turning back the clock on our movement toward justice, it is imperative that New York has a constitution that protects all New Yorkers from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, and sex – including pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

TELL LAWMAKERS: New York State must pass an Equal Rights Amendment that reflects true and lasting equality for all of our communities.

Message Recipient:
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
Your representatives

Person looking up, with a map of the state of New York behind them.

[The Form Label field is hidden on ACLU message action forms]

Your Message

Use the form to send a message to your legislator.

Subject

Message

Our New York State Constitution is wholly inadequate when it comes to ensuring equality. We need a constitution with broad protections for every New Yorker. The current New York State Constitution fails to prohibit discrimination against groups who have been historically targeted, including those with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, women, and pregnant people. We must pass an equal rights amendment worthy of the 21st century that protects us all.

The legislature has already passed a state constitutional amendment that creates new protections in our constitution against discrimination based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, and sex – including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy. All constitutional amendments must pass through the legislature twice before appearing on the ballot - so we must pass the ERA again in 2023 so that it can appear on the 2024 ballot.

Adding an Equal Rights Amendment to our state constitution would:

- broadly prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, or sex including pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health care and autonomy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
- explicitly include language to clarify that discrimination based on a person’s pregnancy or pregnancy outcome is sex discrimination – this is crucial given the national trend of criminalizing people for various pregnancy outcomes, as well as the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
- ensure comprehensive and inclusive equal protections that will guard against attacks on our rights from the federal government or federal judges, including threats to the legal equality of LGBTQ+ people.

It is imperative that lawmakers pass a broad and inclusive Equal Rights Amendment again this legislative session. I am counting on you to do so.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

Your Information

All data you enter here will be shared with the message recipient along with your message, per our privacy statement.

Salutation *

(required by some officials)

ABOUT HONORIFIC TITLES

Many public officials use "web mail forms" that this system will send your message to, so you don't have to visit their web sites to communicate with them. The systems that some of these officials use requires that the honorific field be used (Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc.).

Unfortunately, we do not have control of which honorific titles are presented as options. We must adhere to what the officials are using in order for your message to be delivered.

Alternate Salutation

Most elected officials’ constituent email systems accept a very limited set of salutations. Please select the one you would most prefer.

First name *

Last name *

E-mail address *

Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Phone *

Phone Type *

Show my name in a list of action takers.

Sign me up for ACLU emails so I can stay informed and take action to protect people's rights.

I agree to receive calls and texts (including automated recurring text messages) from the ACLU and its state affiliates at the number I provided above about ways to take action and support the ACLU organizations. Message & Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to quit. Privacy Statement

Leave this field blank

Pass an Equal Rights Amendment

Act Now

Recent participants