FAQs

The Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed change to our state constitution. It would guarantee equal rights for everyone under Minnesota law and make sure the state can’t discriminate against people because of who they are. By writing these protections into our constitution, the ERA ensures every Minnesotan’s rights are protected, no matter who holds office.

Right now, many of our civil and human rights depend on laws and court decisions that can change. Laws can be repealed when new lawmakers take office, even strong ones like the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Court rulings can be reversed, as we saw when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for abortion bans to spread across the country. Putting equal rights into the Minnesota Constitution would protect us for the long term, no matter who is in power.

The ERA would strengthen protections against discrimination. Right now, the Minnesota Constitution has strong protections against religious discrimination, and courts take that seriously. The ERA will ensure that other kinds of discrimination, like discrimination based on sex and disability, are taken just as seriously. The ERA would close the gap so everyone is protected equally.

And it would protect rights we can’t take for granted. Abortion rights in Minnesota aren’t written into our constitution; they come from a court decision. That leaves them at risk. As we saw in 2022, Iowa’s Supreme Court reversed its own ruling from just four years earlier that had protected abortion rights. The ERA would make sure that can’t happen here.

The ERA would put protections against discrimination directly into the Minnesota Constitution, the state’s highest governing document. That makes them much harder to take away than ordinary laws, which can be changed or repealed whenever the people in power change. At a time when basic rights and freedoms are under attack across the country, the ERA is a crucial step in protecting them here in Minnesota.

Everyone. The ERA would protect all people in Minnesota from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, and sex, including pregnancy and decisions about pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation.

Minnesotans of every race deserve to be treated fairly by their government, in our schools, courts, and public services. Right now, our state constitution does not have any guarantees of freedom from race-based discrimination written in. We have seen the U.S. Supreme Court weaken protections from racial discrimination in the federal Constitution, and we do not want to see that happen here in Minnesota. The ERA would write those protections into our constitution and guard against discrimination in all its forms, including policies that may look neutral on paper but hurt communities of color in practice.

No one should be treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. Colorism, which means favoring lighter skin over darker skin, is rooted in racism and still hurts people today, including within the same community. The ERA makes it clear that every Minnesotan deserves equal respect and equal treatment, no matter their skin color.

Minnesota is home to people whose families have roots all around the world, and every one of them helps make our state what it is. Whether your family has been here for generations or you arrived last year, you belong here and deserve to be treated with the same dignity and fairness as everyone else. The ERA would make sure no Minnesotan is treated unequally because of their national origin.

Minnesota is stronger because of the many heritages that make up our communities, including Native and Indigenous Minnesotans and people whose families have roots all over the world. Our heritage shapes who we are, and it deserves to be respected and honored, never used as a reason to treat someone unfairly. The ERA makes that a lasting promise in our constitution.

Every Minnesotan deserves the freedom to live independently, go to school, work, and fully take part in their community. People with disabilities have fought hard for the rights they have today, but those protections live in laws that can be changed. Courts also treat disability discrimination less strictly than some other kinds of discrimination. The ERA would write disability rights into our constitution so every Minnesotan can live with dignity and belonging.

The ERA would guarantee equal treatment under the law regardless of sex, protecting women and making clear that sex discrimination also includes discrimination based on pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. No one is left out.

LGBTQ+ Minnesotans deserve to live, work, love, and raise their families without fear of discrimination. Minnesota has protected people based on sexual orientation in state law since 1993, and in 2013 we became one of the first states in the Midwest to pass marriage equality. But Minnesota Courts have never found that our constitution protects marriage. In fact, they rejected that very argument in the 1970s. Laws can be changed by a future legislature, but the ERA would write these protections into our constitution so they last, no matter who is in power.

Transgender Minnesotans are our family members, neighbors, coworkers, and friends, and they deserve the same rights, safety, and dignity as everyone else. The ERA would protect people from discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.

Across the country, transgender people are being targeted by laws that limit their health care, their rights, and their ability to participate fully in public life. Here in Minnesota, state law currently protects transgender people from discrimination, but a future legislature could repeal those protections. 

The ERA would write these protections into our constitution. Everyone deserves to live freely and safely as who they are, and the ERA helps make sure that’s true for every Minnesotan.

The ERA would protect every Minnesotan’s right to make their own decisions about pregnancy, including whether to become or stay pregnant.

Abortion rights in Minnesota are protected today by a state law and a 1995 court ruling (Doe v. Gomez), but a future legislature could repeal that law and a future court could overturn that ruling. The ERA would write these protections directly into our constitution, making them much harder to take away.

The exact wording matters. Texas has had an Equal Rights Amendment since 1972, but it doesn’t mention pregnancy, and Texas now enforces a near-total abortion ban. That’s why Minnesota’s ERA explicitly protects decisions about pregnancy, so there’s no question about what it covers.

The Minnesota Constitution already has strong protections against discrimination based on religion. The ERA’s goal is to add protections for groups that are not already written in, such as women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and people with disabilities. People of many faiths support the ERA, because protecting the dignity and equality of every person is a value shared across religious traditions.

Passing the ERA takes two steps. First, both the Minnesota House and Senate must vote to put it on the ballot.

Once the ERA passes the Legislature, a question will be placed on the statewide ballot asking voters if they want to amend the Constitution. A majority of voters must vote YES on the amendment for it to pass. If a voter does not mark Yes or No, it is counted as a No vote.

That means winning takes all of us: showing lawmakers that Minnesotans want the ERA, and then making sure every supporter finds the ERA on their ballot and votes yes.

There are lots of ways to support the ERA:

• Get involved – Sign up for email updates and volunteer opportunities from Minnesotans for Equal Rights.
• Donate – Help fund the Minnesotans for Equal Rights campaign to pass the ERA.
• Contact your legislators – Tell your state representative and senator to pass the ERA and let Minnesota voters decide.
• Join the Coalition – Is your organization or business interested in joining the coalition? Sign up to become a partner.
• Spread the Word – Talk to your friends, family, and community about why the ERA matters.

Tell us why you’re part of this fight. Email your words to info@mn4equalrights.org with the subject “Add My Voice,” along with your name and your town or organization. By sending, you agree that we may share your words on our website and social media. We review every submission and may edit for length.

You don’t need to be an expert. Sharing why it matters to you is the most powerful thing you can do. Here are a few simple points to get started:

• No one should be held back because of who they are. Women, people of color, LGBTQ+ Minnesotans, people with disabilities, and immigrant families all deserve the same protection under the law.
• It’s about all of us. The ERA would protect every Minnesotan from discrimination based on race, disability, sex, and more. Minnesota’s diversity is who we are, and our constitution should reflect that.
• It makes our rights last. Laws can change when politicians change. Putting equal rights in our constitution is the strongest way to protect them, no matter who’s in office.
• It lets voters decide. Passing the ERA in the Legislature puts the question to Minnesota voters, so the people get the final say.
• Minnesotans show up for each other. Together, we can make equality a lasting promise for all of us, written into our constitution.