, 8 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
Why is equality so damn hard?

I went to the #ERAHearing today, and it was an historic event, to be sure.

The issue: if 1 more state (hopefully Virginia!) ratifies the #ERA, can it become a part of the Constitution given that the original date for ratification has expired?
If they extended it once, can Congress remove the deadline?

I think it's pretty clear the answer is yes, and it shouldn't take the Supreme Court to figure it out.

I showed up to today's hearing because I'm a fan of equality. But part of me left the hearing scratching my head.
Why should anyone have to be a "fan" of equality? That's like saying you're a fan of justice, or good, or fairness. Some things just need to be presumed.

But as several speakers pointed out, equality is never presumed. It's always debated. Impediments are thrown up.
One anti-ERA speaker actually said passing the ERA would be a mistake because it would be an illegal amendment given the expired deadline and (according to her) Congress's inability to extend or remove that deadline.

What? Our legal system says equality would be a mistake?
We must be guided by principle. As an immigration lawyer, I'm acutely aware of the exaltation of form over function.

SOP for the GOP: Assert the rule of law, but kill on technicalities when the law lifts up someone else. Find a way around the roadblocks, they cry, "loopholes!"
No. The anti-ERA position makes a mockery of both law and justice. It's never been about either. It's a way to cling to privilege, elevating some by keeping others downtrodden.

It's bullying. Legal bullying. And it has to stop.
While I understood the legal arguments for and against, what I don't comprehend is why equality is always such a struggle. I think we all should reflect on that question.
Still, people showed up. They recognized there's something wrong, just like the crowds that showed up at Dulles 2 years ago during the Muslim ban.

People showing up is what drives social change. No, scratch that.

People showing up *is* social change.
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