As if the stakes on Election Day weren't high enough, there is the matter of Proposition 1: In New York State, the Equal Rights Amendment is on the ballot. A "yes" vote on Proposition 1 would codify into the State Constitution the right of an individual to live life free of discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, reproductive outcome, or gender identity. Right now, the law only protects against discrimination based on "race, color, creed, and religion."
Why are we still arguing about this in 2024?
Here's why: Because the far right, in its weird obsession with gender, has seized on this proposition, seeing it only through a distorted lens of students and sports.
State Senator Anthony Palumbo initially supported the Equal Rights Amendment but has since changed his mind. The concern is that trans girls will have an unfair advantage over other female athletes. Mr. Palumbo has characterized the participation of trans athletes as "boys [who] want to play in girls' sports," as The Star reported earlier this month.
For the record, under Title IX (a federal statute protecting all students' rights to play school sports equally) there is precedent already for boys and girls — whether trans or otherwise — to play on scholastic teams together. When a specific high school sport is not offered for girls, they can petition to be allowed to play with the boys, and vice versa.
The issue of school sports is a distraction and a red herring. A vanishingly small number of athletes is involved. According to Athlete Ally, a group that advocates for equal access in sports for L.G.B.T.Q.+ athletes, fewer than 40 of the N.C.A.A.'s 500,000 athletes are transgender. Trans athletes, women in particular, often face intense scrutiny — including hormone therapy and testosterone tracking — before they are allowed to suit up for competition.
Simply put, arguments against Proposition 1 are rooted in the exact kind of sexism and anti-L.G.B.T.Q.+ fearmongering the amendment seeks to prevent. It's time to finally support equality for all with a "yes" vote on Nov. 5.