New York conservatives hope the Equal Rights Amendment, included on the November general election ballot, will help keep Democrats away from voters seeking to preserve Republican wins on Long Island and its suburbs. There is. On Monday, protections for gender expression in the constitutional amendment took center stage as Republican lawmakers, female athletes and even former swimmer Riley Gaines traveled to Albany to protest the bill. They argued that the ERA put female athletes in a dangerous position and stripped parents of their right to make medical decisions for their children.
The Equal Rights Amendment, passed by state legislatures in 2022 and 2023, provides protections from discrimination based on several protected statuses, including gender expression, and includes restrictions on participation in sports and medical procedures. Not mentioned directly. Critics argue that the changes to the New York state constitution contain language broad enough to open the door to both. Trans women in sports have become a culture war topic for some conservatives in recent years. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman caused a stir earlier this year by banning trans female athletes from participating in sports on public land in the county.
Former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, who currently chairs the Leadership America Needs PAC, led the proceedings, warning New York voters about the ERA and its encouraged them to make sure they understood what it meant to them. and their children.
“Your own decisions about what you believe is best for your family, yourself, your community and your state should guide your vote,” Zeldin said. “I personally believe that transgender biological males should not be allowed to compete against females in organized sports. I believe that they should not be in bathrooms or inside locker rooms. .”
At the 2022 NCAA National Championships, trans swimmer Leah Thomas drew national attention when she tied for fifth place and called a foul, later becoming the first trans swimmer to become an NCAA Division I champion. Gaines spoke of his discomfort with trans athletes and protesters. To ERA.
“There is a systematic effort to destroy women's sports and attack women's rights, parental rights and child protection,” Gaines said. At a subsequent press conference, she said, Called an openly gay reporter a homophobe After asking if the issue of trans women in the locker room extends to lesbians, he asked:
Sasha Neha Ahuja, campaign director for New Yorkers for Equal Rights, took issue with the way ERA opponents characterized its possible impact.
“New Yorkers, not politicians, should be in charge of our fundamental rights and freedoms. This is exactly why we need the NY ERA, and why politicians like Lee Zeldin are in charge of our fundamental rights and freedoms. This is to prevent freedom from turning into a political football,” Ahuja said. “We are not surprised when, as they do across the country, opponents and their friends make false claims about the ability of parents to make health care decisions for their children. This is patently false. ”
Zeldin and Congressional Minority Leader Andy Goodell later acknowledged the political element of the ERA debate, with the latter calling abortion rights a “Trojan horse” for other Democratic goals.
“The polls are interesting,” he said. “If you asked parents, “Do you support your child making important medical decisions when they're in sixth grade, fifth grade, or fourth grade?'' what would the poll say?”
Zeldin said Democrats are clearly shifting strategy. “This bill was drafted specifically to not be an abortion restriction amendment,” he said. “The reason they changed tactics is because their pollsters are saying they're on the wrong side of everything else that's in the actual text of the amendment.”
The Equal Rights Amendment will go before New York voters on November 5th.
