The “Equal Rights Amendment II” (or “ERA II”) is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  It reads as follows:

             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, sexual orientation, gender, or choice of spouse or partner.

            Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

 

Upon ratification, the Equal Rights Amendment II prohibits discrimination under U.S. and state law on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender, or choice of spouse or partner.

The Equal Rights Amendment II was developed by the Humane Party from 2009 to 2015. The text draws on the language of the original Equal Rights Amendment, which was drafted by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman in 1923 and narrowly failed ratification as part of the U.S. Constitution during the 20th century.