In the United States, men and women are legally equal. The U.S. Constitution applies equally to males and females; the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits the government from unfairly discriminating on the basis of sex; and numerous federal and state laws prohibit sex discrimination by private companies and organizations. Although the Equal Rights Amendment sounds as if it will merely reiterate such anti-discrimination principles, when layered on top of existing protections, it will give courts broad leeway to mandate that males and females be treated exactly the same in all circumstances, even when privacy, safety, or the integrity of athletic competition is at issue.
Activists claim that the proposed ERA has accumulated enough support to become part of the United States Constitution, even though the vast majority of today’s voters…
