EQUAL MEANS EQUAL is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the immediate publication, adoption and enforcement of the original Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, which became enforceable federal law on January 27th of 2022.

The ERA simply states:

Equality of rights, under the law, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State on account of sex.

The U.S. Constitution requires that three-fourths of state legislatures (38 states) ratify an Amendment to become part of the Constitution. From 1972-1982, thirty-five states ratified the ERA; but then the movement faltered due to the widely accepted misunderstanding that an illegal and unconstitutional deadline in the preamble of the ERA imposed by Congress on the States dictated that women begin the entire process over again. EQUAL MEANS EQUAL disagreed; the ERA would be fully ratified upon achieving just three additional state ratifications.

Beginning in 2009, EQUAL MEANS EQUAL (originally called the ERA Education Project) educated, activated, organized and mobilized women and our allies in the twenty-two unratified states, re-educating the public on the viability of the amendment and the urgent need to complete the process.

To achieve this goal, EQUAL MEANS EQUAL provided the public with:

• production and dissemination of multi-platform media [including the award-winning documentary Equal Means Equal , video PSAs, college, high school and elementary school curriculum, podcasts, social media, TV interviews, Op-Eds, essays and all manner of free educational information and tools]
• legislative advocacy in the 22 unratified states
• intersectional public outreach to diverse communities
• raising awareness on the ground through community education & engagement

EQUAL MEANS EQUAL has been widely credited for revitalizing the movement to complete ERA ratification after decades of inaction, playing a vital role in the passage of ERA ratification legislation in the states of Nevada (2017), Illinois (2018), and Virginia (2020). Successful ratification of these final three states means that the ERA now has completed all Constitutional requirements for publication as the 28th Amendment.

Finally, the United States of America can join the 143 nations that have already enshrined equality of the sexes in their Constitutions. There are no more excuses. Equal Means Equal!

One of the chief supporters of Nevada’s ratification of the amendment, State Senator Pat Spearman, explained to KNPR that the deadline “…was in the resolving clause, but it wasn’t a part of the amendment that was proposed by Congress”.

In the 21st century, women in the United States contend with discrimination, economic insecurity, and violence in a variety of forms. The contrast between the reality experienced by American women and the ideals of justice, liberty, general welfare, and domestic tranquility as outlined by the preamble of the U.S. Constitution could not be more vast.

A goal of subsequent phases will seek to advance women’s rights worldwide. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, both developed and developing countries have looked to the United States for global leadership. During the mid-20th century, the U.S. was referred to as the “leader of the free world” on account of the rhetoric of its elected officials voicing their advocacy of democratic principles on the world stage. As such, during and following the end of the Cold War, developing countries followed the lead of the United States in terms of some social and economic policy. Many countries transitioned from authoritarian political systems to republics that offered more civil liberties than in past eras. With the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and the success of the Equal Means Equal Initiative, the United States can lead the world towards gender equality on a global scale.

With love and thanks,

Kamala Lopez, Natalie White & the EME Team