“PROTECT PARENTAL RIGHTS VOTE NO PROP 1”; “SAVE GIRLS SPORTS VOTE NO PROP. 1”; “NO LEGAL RIGHTS FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS VOTE NO PROP. 1.”
If you’ve driven anywhere in New York State (NYS) in the past month, you’ve probably seen lawn signs like these all over the place. These signs make it seem like Prop. 1 is going to ruin our state and hurt children in New York for decades to come — but that’s simply not true.
NYS is currently considering the addition of an amendment to the state constitution. Known as Proposition 1 or New York’s “Equal Rights Amendment,” the amendment would ensure that no person within NYS would be denied the equal protections of the law.
This would codify the civil rights of many groups into the New York Constitution, including women, LGBTQIA+ people, minors, the elderly, and immigrants. It would also enshrine the right to reproductive healthcare within the New York Constitution. It also ensures that this amendment will not interfere with legislation protecting the rights of other groups.
Prop. 1 will appear on every NYS ballot, either on the back or the bottom. There will be a brief description of the proposed amendment, and voters will be asked to fill in YES if they want the amendment to be added to the New York Constitution or NO if they do not.
This proposition has stirred much controversy. Many opponents to Prop. 1 claim it will allow for “illegal” immigrants to vote, for men to compete against little girls in sports, and even the legalization of pedophilia. These concerns are rooted in fear, so it’s worth examining.
First, undocumented immigrants have never been able to vote in the U.S.. It is against the law of the federal government, which trumps state law and is unconstitutional. Voting is a constitutional right of U.S. citizens, and citizens only. The bill also doesn’t say a single thing about the rights of citizens versus non-citizens.
Second, men are never going to play sports against little girls. The amendment says literally nothing about athletics, and schools are still required to follow the current regulations given by the state, federal governments, and athletic bodies which they are competing under.
Third, and I cannot believe I have to say this, pedophilia is not going to be legalized. Engaging in the sexual abuse of a minor is a federal crime: Protecting the civil rights of people of all ages is not going to change that.
There are a million more wild scenarios that opponents of this amendment have come up with, but all of them are meant to do one thing and one thing only: stoke fear in people. We have seen this time and time again when there is an attempt to make progress; from the civil rights movement in the 60s, where many white people in power said that civil rights for Black people would increase crime rates and hurt the white children in school, or the transgender rights movement, where many cisgender people accused (and continue to accuse) trans people of grooming their children and assaulting women in bathrooms. These oppositions utilized fearmongering and overblown claims to try to hold progress back. These desperate accusations are never true. Don’t let this work.
Proposition 1 needs to be passed in these uncertain times. We don’t know what the next four years are going to look like for marginalized people. We don’t know if our next president will be focused on progressivism or Project 2025. New York can’t make much of a difference in protecting our country from having a president who will push forth policies that destroy marginalized communities and strip people of their right to bodily autonomy. But if we pass Prop. 1, New York could be a safe haven for those whose identities are being threatened and those who have lost control of their own bodies. New Yorkers, if you want to make a real difference this November, I am begging you — vote Yes to Prop. 1. I know I will.
