The Equal Rights Amendment: the time is now!
16th May, 2011
by Cynthia Nimerichter
Several weeks ago, the Denver Post ran an article about the Equal Rights Amendment and the fact that it has never been ratified. In the 1970s, I marched in the streets in support of this measure but to date only 35 states ratified the proposed constitutional amendment. To become part of the U.S. Constitution, three more states would need to vote in favor of it.
I mentioned to a young friend that I had not given much thought to the ERA in many years. My 30-something friend’s response? “What is the ERA?” My friend is very politically savvy and more up-to-date than I am on legislation dealing with discrimination. But her response brought home to me that if the ERA is to ever pass, members of the old guard, including me, need to educate a new generation.
The ERA is fairly simple. Here is the proposal in full:
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
This language would guarantee that the rights affirmed by the U.S. Constitution are held equally by all citizens without regard to sex. Sex would be considered a suspect classification, as race currently is.
The Equal Rights Amendment was written in 1923 by Alice Paul, a leader of the woman suffrage movement and a lawyer. It was introduced in Congress in the same year and subsequently reintroduced in every Congressional session for half a century. In 1972 it was finally sent to the states. The deadline for ratification has long passed but a bill is in Congress now, introduced in March of 2011, which would remove the deadline and allow the amendment to be accepted when three more states pass it.
Women have made great strides in recent decades. Yet women earned just 75 percent of men’s earnings in 2009. As stated in the article in the Denver Post, “In 1920, the 19th Amendment finally gave women the vote. Ninety years later, women still have to fight to prove we deserve the basic rights men simply inherit at birth.”
This was reinforced when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said in September, 2010 in a speech at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law that the Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women.
Colorado has a state ERA and we are one of the states to have ratified the national ERA. An Opinion Research Corporation poll commissioned in 2001 by the ERA Campaign Network shows that nearly all U.S. adults – 96% – believe that male and female citizens should have equal rights. The vast majority – 88% – also believe that the U.S. Constitution should make it clear that these rights are supposed to be equal. However, nearly three-quarters of the respondents – 72% – mistakenly assume that the Constitution already includes such a guarantee.
It is clear that the citizens of the United States overwhelmingly support a constitutional guarantee of equal rights on the basis of sex, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment will achieve that goal.
After all, this is 2011. Can any reasonable person be against full equal rights for women? It does not seem possible but consider this: recently the Virginia Senate voted to become the 36th state to ratify the ERA. Days later, the bill died in the House of Delegates-in a subcommittee of seven men.
Cynthia Nimerichter is a motivational speaker, author and recovering attorney. She lives in Colorado Springs.
States which have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment include:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
Virginia
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Election Season Rolls On…
20th April, 2011
In 2010, Colorado Springs voters made history by approving a ballot measure that creates a “strong mayor.” Seven candidates campaigned for your vote in the April 5, 2011 municipal election. As the results were announced, it became obvious that Colorado Springs was headed for a runoff election.
The City Charter requires a runoff election for the top two vote-getters in the event no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. These candidates are Richard Skorman and Steve Bach, who received 35.85% and 33.41%, respectively.
Steve Bach
Richard Skorman
Thus the battle begins. So far, the candidates have squared off at one debate, and there are more in the works before the May 17 election deadline.
So what will make the difference in the runoff election? YOU!
VOTE!
Voters who received a mail ballot for the April 5 election will also receive a mail ballot for the May 17 runoff. If you did not vote in the November 2010 election and have not updated your registration status with the City Clerk’s office, you are considered inactive and will not receive a mail ballot for the runoff election, unless you follow these simple steps: 
- Voters with no recent changes of name or address can go to the City Clerk’s Office, 30 S. Nevada Avenue, Suite 101, with identification, to request a mail ballot. An inactive voter ballot request document is also available for download at the City of Colorado Springs website. You may mail or hand-deliver this request at least a week prior to the election (if you’re mailing it, please allow adequate time for processing and mailing).
- Voters who have a name or address change must first get an updated Voter Registration form from one of the three El Paso County Election Offices. The downtown office is Centennial Hall, 200 S Cascade Avenue, open M-F 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. You may then go to the City Clerk’s Office to request a mail ballot.
More information on the election process can be found on the City of Colorado Springs website.
YOUR OPTIONS:
If you haven’t yet decided who you will support for Colorado Springs Strong Mayor, here’s all the information you could want, and more:
Candidate websites:
http://www.stevebachmayor.com/
Voter Guides (some include content for other candidates):
Citizens Project’s Freedom Watch Voter Guide
Colorado Springs Independent Voter Guide (includes endorsements)
Downtown Partnership Candidate Survey
The Gazette Voter Guide and Endorsements
Greater CS Chamber of Commerce Endorsements
Focus on the Family Candidate Survey
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Citizens Project on Comcast Spotlight!
1st March, 2011
Citizens Project will be featured on Comcast Newsmakers in the month of March. Check out the video below to hear executive director Kristy Milligan talk about elections, diversity, and community!
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Citizens Project Thanks You!
11th November, 2010
Thanks to hundreds of supporters and volunteers just like you, 2010 has been a great year so far for Citizens Project and I’m excited to share the highlights with you:
Election Education
For the 19th consecutive year, Citizens Project published a comprehensive local Freedom Watch Voter Guide that was inserted in the Colorado Springs Independent and reached more than 100,000 voters in the Pikes Peak region with unbiased information about candidates and ballot measure descriptions. Citizens Project also took a position against Colorado Ballot Measures 60, 61, 62 and 101, all of which were soundly defeated.
Together with the Colorado Springs Independent and many community co-sponsors, Citizens Project hosted a primary El Paso County Sheriff debate and produced two Election Education Forums in October for the general 2010 election.
Recently, we worked with a broad coalition to challenge the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s decision to hold 72% of physical polling locations in churches. We found that neighboring counties held 38% or less of polling places in churches and disseminated research that demonstrates a correlation between voting habits and polling place. Citizens Project also coordinated a mailing to over 400 local faith communities with educational materials about electioneering and how churches can comply with IRS guidelines to protect their tax-exempt status.
Separation of Church and State
Next week, Citizens Project will send all local schools The December Dilemma, a practical guide for educators to ensure inclusive holiday celebrations. We also began planning our second annual Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute to educate teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members about upholding religious freedom in our classrooms. If you’re interested in helping with this important event, please let us know.
Citizens Project also collaborated with faith and business leaders to develop a proposal for a more inclusive municipal policy regarding banners on public property, which City Council will vote on in early 2011.
Diversity and Equality
Citizens Project played a key role in the re-establishment of a Colorado Springs Human Relations Commission, which will educate and protect all members of our community on the importance of diversity and mediate disputes on behalf of the city. Stay tuned for updates!
In early 2010, Citizens Project launched an awareness campaign designed to stimulate conversation and heighten awareness of our issues. More than 100 people signed up on our website, and many of our friends in the community reported having positive conversations as a result of the campaign.
Time, Talent & Money
Citizens Project has always been a grassroots organization that relies heavily on the support of dozens of volunteers and hundreds of supporters! Our accomplishments this year are a testament to the incredible power of our allies in the community.
We held our first-ever Volunteer Open House in July, and we’re planning a Holiday Open House for volunteers on December 13, 2010 at 5pm right here at the CP office. Please let us know if you can join us to see our office space and hear about the incredible impact volunteers and donors have on our programs. We also developed a quarterly Volunteer Connection newsletter. If you’re interested in learning about our amazing volunteers or upcoming opportunities to make a difference, please feel free to contact us.
Again this year, Citizens Project has been invited to participate in the Colorado Springs Give! Initiative, a coordinated effort to elevate awareness of nonprofits in our community and increase philanthropy in the region. If you’re interested in donating time or money, and earning great rewards, please learn more by visiting IndyGive.com.
All this work is possible because of you: thank you for all you do to create community! Please call on us any time with ideas, feedback, problems or questions. You are the citizens of Citizens Project.
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LGBT Equality: How Does Colorado Stack Up?
5th August, 2010
Citizens Project celebrated the recent overturning of Proposition 8, California’s anti-gay marriage law, and it made us wonder; how do California’s LGBT laws stack up to Colorado’s?
Colorado had two items on the 2006 ballot regarding same-sex marriage. Referendum I was a proposed law that would have “legalize[d] domestic partnerships, providing same-sex couples the opportunity to obtain the legal protections and responsibilities granted to married couples under Colorado law.” (CNN)
The other item on the ballot was Amendment 43, which would have defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. Amendment
43 passed with 56% of the vote, and Referendum I, along with LGBT marriage equality, was defeated when 53% voted against it. (CNN)
However, some rights were granted to same-sex couples in 2009. HB 1260, which Governor Bill Ritter signed in April of 2009, legally allows “couples (gay, lesbian, or heterosexual) to enter into ‘designated beneficiary agreements’. Designated beneficiaries would have certain rights, including the right to receive state employee pension benefits, health insurance coverage, the right to medical decision-making for an incapacitated partner and the right to inherit if a partner dies without a will.” (HRC) This bill did more than help same-sex couples; it helped unmarried heterosexual couples as well as people who can’t afford a lawyer to draft a will. (DallasVoice)
California’s laws regarding marriage are more complex. For a few weeks in 2004, the Mayor of San Francisco issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but these were later nullified by California Supreme Court. Then, in 2008, Proposition 8 was introduced and voted on, and passed in the November election with 52% of the vote. This proposition said that, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” (CA Voterguide) However, on August 4, 2010, a California Judge reversed Proposition 8, calling it unc
onstitutional. This decision will be appealed, and at least for now, same-sex couples in California are not allowed to marry. That could change, depending on the ultimate outcome of this litigation.
Colorado’s 1992 Amendment 2 is an ugly blotch in our state history. Amendment 2 would have prohibited legal protection from discrimination for gays and lesbians. It passed with xx% of the vote. Fortunately, justice prevailed and Amendment 2 was overturned by the Colorado Courts. Given this attempt to legalize discrimination against LGBT people, it may surprise you that California and Colorado have very similar laws in other areas that affect LGBT communities.
Employment: Both Colorado and California have laws that protect people from being discriminated against due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. California put these laws into effect in 1992 and 2003, where Colorado put them into effect in 2007. (HRC)
Housing: Both Colorado and California have laws that prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For Colorado, this occurred with the passing of SB 200 in 2008, which, in addition to pre-existing nondiscrimination laws for sexual orientation and gender identity to employment, added housing, public accommodations, credit transactions, jury service, and more to the legally protected areas. (HRC, HRC)
Hate Crimes: Both Colorado (in 2005) and California (in 1999) include sexual orientation and gender identity in their state hate crimes law (HRC)
School discrimination: Both Colorado (in 2008) and California (in 2002) have laws that address discrimination, harassment and/or bullying of students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (HRC) 
Adoption: Both Colorado and California allow second-parent adoptions (adopting the child of one’s partner) as well as same-sex couples jointly petitioning to adopt (adopting from the child’s biological parent(s) or is in the custody of the state) (HRC)
Hospital Visitation: Colorado and California have similar hospital visitation laws, but they are a result of different processes. In California, equal hospital visitation rights are granted to same-sex spouses or partners through marriage equality or statewide relationship recognition. In Colorado, same-sex spouses or partners are extended equal hospital visitation rights through specific provisions as part of a limited relationship recognition statute. (HRC)
Out-of-Jurisdiction Recognition: In order to be eligible for benefits and protections extended by Colorado, couples must re-register with Colorado regardless of their relationship status elsewhere. California, on the other hand, recognizes out-of-jurisdiction marriages that occurred before November 2008 as valid marriages, and all other same-sex marriages and civil unions or domestic partnerships as valid domestic partnerships. (HRC)
We can see that Colorado and California’s past in regard to LGBT issues are very similar. Both states had, or are in the process of having, bad legislation overturned that would have prohibited equal rights from being attained by LGBT communities. Both states are among the top LGBT-friendly states with regards to discrimination laws. And they both, despite all of these positive attributes, have a long way to go before true equality is reached.
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Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
30th June, 2010
With the recent developments regarding the United States’ military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which effectively bans openly gay and lesbian citizens from serving in the military, it is an appropriate time to examine where the policy came from, where it currently stands, and the possibilities for its future.
Leading up to his 1992 presidential election victory, Bill Clinton promised to end the ban on gays and lesbians in the US military. However, once in office President Clinton encountered fierce resistance from Congress. During the Congressional debates, Dr. Gregory Herek, a respected social psychologist with over 15 years of research in topics of sexual orientation, spoke on the potential consequences of lifting the ban on gays and lesbians in the military. His ultimate conclusion was that “the research data show that there is nothing about lesbians and gay men that makes them inherently unfit for military service, and there is nothing about heterosexuals that makes them inherently unable to work and live with gay people in close quarters.” Despite these affirmations, President Clinton was unable to persuade congress, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was formed as a compromise. This was, at any rate, progress, because it allowed gay and lesbian troops to serve in the military, as long as they kept their sexual orientation a secret.
Every year, a bill is used to decide the budget of the US Department of Defense, and the 2010 version includes an amendment that would eliminate the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. This was voted on by the House of Representatives on May 27, and it passed on a 234-194 vote. The Senate Armed Forces Committee also voted on the bill, and it passed there with a 16-12 vote.
The biggest argument against passing the bill is that its potential effects on the military are unknown. The Pentagon is currently undergoing a review that was commissioned after President Obama’s State of the Union Address, where he discussed his desire to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The goal of the review is to determine whether or not the repeal would affect the “military’s standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruitment and retention,” and to offer strategies on how to implement the law if it was passed. The results of this review are not due until December, so many Representatives who were not in favor of repeal said that they were reluctant to agree to the bill without first knowing the results of the Pentagon review.
What is known about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is there are many negative consequences. Apart from its obvious discriminatory nature, which can alienate troops and force them to lie, it is very expensive. A 2006 study showed that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has cost the US over $363 million dollars in investigations and training replacements. Over 13,000 people have been kicked out of the military since 1993 due to their sexual orientation, which includes troops with critical skills such as Arabic linguists, fighter pilots and doctors, whose skills are invaluable during a time in which the US is involved in two wars. There are over thirty countries that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, including Israel, England, Canada, Australia, and Spain.
There are still many obstacles in the way before the repealing of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell can be passed. The next step is that the Senate must vote on the bill, which could occur this summer. If it were to pass in the Senate, the president, the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff all must sign off on it as well. This might be a very significant obstacle because President Obama has threatened to veto the bill because it contains money for defense projects he deems wasteful.
Despite these obstacles, there is more hope than ever that the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law will finally be eliminated. As Dr. Herek mentioned, there is absolutely nothing that prevents gays and lesbians from serving as well as heterosexuals. And with numerous examples of countries successfully embracing gays and lesbians into their militaries, isn’t it time that the United States, a self-professed powerful force for good in the world, did so as well? As someone close to me always says, there have always been gay and lesbian troops in the military, and I believe that it is long past due to finally allow them to serve their country openly and freely.
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What is the value of diversity?
26th March, 2010
Special thanks to Citizens Project youth volunteer videographer Isaac and Impact Video Production for this video! Interviews were taped at the 2009 Everybody Welcome Festival of Cultural Diversity in Colorado Springs’ America the Beautiful Park.
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Create Isolation? Not us!
26th March, 2010
Tell us your story and join the conversation!
It’s been revealed: Citizens Project is the agency behind the subversive ads you may have seen around town. The Gazette ran a nice story about it, and what these crazy messages really represent is our community without Citizens Project:
Now we invite you to join us to make our community a better place. We are creating a louder voice for inclusion, diversity and equal rights by collecting stories, creating conversations, and telling a new, powerful story of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region.
Today, we want to hear more about you.
Tell us your story. Tell us about your personal experiences of diversity, discrimination, inclusion, or isolation. Tell us about a time you felt unwelcome or devalued in our community, and tell us about a time you felt included and respected. Tell us what you wish for Colorado Springs and our region, and how you think Citizens Project can help residents make a difference.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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Citizens Project in the news!
25th March, 2010
You’ve seen the billboards, the print ads, the bus sides and the websites. Church Equals State, Freedom From Expression, Create Isolation, Celebrate Conformity. And now you know that Citizens Project was the organization behind this provocative campaign.
Learn more about what the campaign is all about by checking out Citizens Project’s recent media coverage and stay tuned to learn how you can join the conversation!
- Check out the Gazette article by Mark Barna: Springs nonprofit hopes billboards spark diversity dialogue
- Read a story by Anthony Lane on the Colorado Springs Independent blog: Church equals state? Huh?
- Also, watch for Citizens Project on KRDO Channel 13 news this evening, when Executive Director Barb Van Hoy talks about the awareness campaign
If you haven’t already, please join our email list for opportunities to get involved!
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Change Begins With Me
15th January, 2010
| January 16, 2010 | ||
| 3:30 pm | to | 5:45 pm |
2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and March
Saturday, January 16, 2010
3:30pm – 5:45 pm
Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Terrance Carroll, Colorado’s Speaker of the House of Representatives
Please meet at Armstrong Hall (14 E. Cache La Poudre St., Colorado College Campus) at 3:30 for the march, with celebration to follow. Questions? Contact Jennifer @ 719-660-1435
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