That’s right. Women are NOT explicitly in either the U.S. or the Minnesota Constitutions.

​Many women were raised being told that all people, regardless of gender, are equal citizens. We were led to believe that everyone in this country had the same rights after the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in 1972. What often got left out is that it was never ratified by enough states to become a part of the Constitution.
 
Even though the 14th Amendment added an “equal protection clause,” it was also the first amendment to introduce gender into the Constitution by adding the word “male.” This is why the 19th Amendment was needed to secure the right to vote for women and why passing the Equal Rights Amendment is so important to ensuring that all people, regardless of gender, are fully protected by the Constitution.

HOW DO WE FIX THIS?

As much as we all want to believe that all people are treated equally, we know that we are not. One way to address this is by guaranteeing equal protection under the law. This can be done by securing amendments to both the Constitution of the United States AND to the Minnesota Constitution that simply state:
“Equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex.
In Minnesota, our state ratified the federal amendment in 1973. But we never added an equal rights amendment to our state constitution.  Even though a state ERA has been introduced in every session since 1982, the amendment has never passed out committee to be debated by the full legislative body. A simple fix from the legislature would be to put the amendment on the statewide ballot for citizens to approve or deny.
 
For the U.S. Constitution, Nevada and Illinois recently became the 36th and 37th states to ratify the ERA. Now ONLY ONE MORE STATE is needed for full ratification. 

WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

One of the most important reasons the ERA is needed is because discrimination based on gender is NOT treated with the same importance as other forms of discrimination within the court system.
 
Consider what former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia said:

"Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn't. Nobody ever thought that that's what it meant. Nobody ever voted for that," said the famously conservative justice, adding, "If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, hey we have things called legislatures, and they enact things called laws.”
 
We have laws in Minnesota and federally against discrimination. But as we’ve seen lately, laws can be overturned by a simple majority in Congress or any state legislature, meaning the only way to protect the hard fought rights is to pass an amendment to secure gender equality is fully protected under the law. For more on why the ERA is still important, click HERE. (go to Federal FAQs)

WE NEED YOU TO GET INVOLVED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN ​

​Find out the position of the MN House candidates in your district and let them know that YOU support having equal rights be guaranteed in both Constitutions and that you want them to support it too.
How To Get Involved:

Find Your Candidates 
  • To find out who is running in your district and if they support the ERA, look at the spreadsheet below. 
  • If you don't know your district check the MN "Who Represents Me?" page.

Contact Them!
  • If the answer is “Unknown” – call or send an email to ask them and let us know!
  • If they support the ERA, call or send them a message thanking them for their support.
  • If they do NOT support the ERA, tell them why YOU DO. And let them know their lack of support affects who you vote for. 

Join Us!
  • Become a member of ERA Minnesota by signing up below!
  • Come to our next meeting or event to get involved.
  • Check our Calendar for more info and meeting/event dates.

WHERE DO THE CANDIDATES STAND?

We have asked every 2018 MN Legislative candidate of their position on ERA.  We will update this form as we hear from them.  ​(Last updated Sept. 12, 2018)
Best viewed horizontally.
For questions or more information, contact us at info@ERAmn.org.
​Talk to Your Candidates about the ERA
You can use any of the following language to talk about the ERA with the candidates.  
  • Women have been denied equality in the Constitution. It is time for women to be given the respect they deserve.
  • Twenty-four other states in the United States (including Texas) have added an Equal Rights Amendment to their State Constitution.  It is time to give Minnesotan citizens the opportunity to vote for an Equal Rights Amendment.  [Learn more about adding an amendment to the MN State Constitution] ​
  • Recent events have shown clearly that despite claims of equality, women still face inequality due to sexual harassment, inequitable pay and unequal treatment in the courts. Our courts are an uncertain place to determine the equality rights of over half our population.
  • The United States Constitution didn't specify something was strictly "male" until the 14th amendment (1868) which clarified this meant Male and not human or Female. This is the first time one gender was specified over another.  [Learn more about adding an amendment to the Federal Constitution]
  • It’s time to give women respect. It’s time to pass the ERA!