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The people of South Carolina have the opportunity to have their voices heard and play a part in the making of herstory to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). As of today, South Carolina may be a great opportunity for supporters and advocates of the ERA to be the last state needed to ratify the Amendment, whether it be through connecting with their state legislators, participating in demonstrations, or raising awareness through social media.

The last time the South Carolina House of Representatives passed the ERA was in 1972, but it was blocked in the Senate.

The South Carolina Senate and House are next in session on January 9, 2018 – let’s get ERA voted on in THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION!

Call your representative now!

Historical Context Regarding the ERA in South Carolina

One of the earliest supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment in South Carolina was Anita Pollitzer, who was a suffragette active in the National Woman’s Party (NWP) and a national advocate for the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Pollitzer, who was an organizer for the NWP in 1913 campaigned in favor of women’s equality and held various positions, including national chairman, until retiring in 1949. In 1972, the South Carolina State House of Representatives passed the ERA unanimously, but it was blocked in the State Senate Judiciary Committee. A year later, the ERA was tabled in the House. In January 1973, the South Carolina Coalition for the Equal Rights Amendment was formed. Funded by the National Organization for Women and the League of Women Voters, Two years later, in 1975, it was redeveloped as a public interest advocacy organization with the goal of ratifying the ERA in South Carolina. A strong legislative ally of Equal Rights Amendment supporters was Jean Hoefer Toal, a Democratic Representative in the South Carolina House of Representatives during the 1970s. She would later become the first female State Supreme Court Chief Justice in South Carolina, a position she held until December 31, 2015. An opponent of the ERA was Theresa Hicks, who filed a class-action lawsuit against the South Carolina Commission on Women and gained praise from national anti-ERA leader Phyllis Schlafly. Churches and organizations such as Women for Constitutional Government in the state were also largely opposed to the ERA, and an anti- ERA coalition was formed in early March of 1975. Senator Lawrence Marion Gressette, a Democratic state Senator known for his support of racial segregation, emerged as a key legislative opponent of the Amendment. His wife Florence Howell Gressette, believed that the ERA would compel her alma mater, an all-womens’ college known as Winthrop College (now Winthrop University) to become coeducational. Norma Russell, a Republican State Representative opposed the ERA in the South Carolina House of Representatives. The wives of other South Carolina politicians, including the wife of Governor James Edwards, worked to stop the passage of the ERA. On March 26, 1975, a bill ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment was tabled in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

South Carolina pro-ERA activists continued to support the ratification of the ERA amidst the opposition of social conservatives. Even though Representative Toal introduced ERA ratification bills in 1977, 1978, and 1982, the South Carolina legislature did not ratify the amendment.

Interesting Trends in South Carolina

While the chances may have been slim for South Carolina to ratifying the ERA in the past, a changing constituency in the state could lead to greater public demand for equality. While no bills ratifying the ERA have been introduced in South Carolina’s legislature in recent years, the electorate might soon become more interested in equality under the law. United Van Lines’ 40th Annual Movers Study indicated that South Carolina had the fifth-highest percentage of people moving “inbound”, that is, from other states to South Carolina. An article in The Post and Courier indicated that the three metro areas on the East Coast with the largest population expansions in 2015 were the Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and Charleston areas- all in South Carolina. In that same year, the fastest-growing city east of the Mississippi River is Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The article states that nearly all growth has occurred in urban and suburban areas. Given the historical precedent of greater support for the ERA in urban regions, South Carolina legislators’ newest constituents may be more likely to demand a vote on equality in the Palmetto State.

Please call your State Senators and Representatives and encourage them to support the ratification of the ERA in South Carolina.

Be sure to stay informed on news and events regarding the progress of the ERA through the Equal Means Equal website at www.equalmeansequal.org.

Want to do more?

We are closely monitoring the status of the ERA in South Carolina and will be regularly updating this page with the latest news and details on how you can contact South Carolina lawmakers to help them come to the conclusion that 96% of Americans have: All people are equal and should be treated equally under the law.

Stay tuned!