Identity and Liberation

“Suppose I start by stating that I am a straight white cis man from a working-class family. What does that even mean? How does it affect my actions, my values, and my decision to give this talk? Is this talk problematic? Do we need another white guy dispensing advice on race, gender, class, and more? I’m going to share some stories, some revelations, and some quotes that have helped me along. Most of these are stories of failures, don’t expect to be inspired. However, I do think I can offer at least my own perspective on working to wake up and working to support change. I’ll make sure there’s plenty of time for a Q&A, bring your questions and I’ll bring mine.” — Kevin Roberg

The ERA Brief October 2021

We are excited to return to campus and rejoin the vibrant law school community. Our work at the ERA Project has taken on a renewed sense of urgency as we seek to advance sex equality in a time when the right to bodily autonomy is under threat from restrictions on reproductive and transgender rights

Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law on Leaked Dobbs Opinion

The leaked Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, signals a major break with at least three generations of constitutional law. Should this opinion be officially issued by the Court, it will eliminate not only constitutional protections for abortion, but well-settled legal principles on which basic personal rights have rested for over 60 years

Columbia Law School’s ERA Project Releases New Policy Paper Demonstrating Race-Based Gap in Who Benefits From Sex Discrimination Laws

New York, New York – On February 27, 2023, Columbia Law School’s Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Project released a new policy paper showing that despite sweeping federal, state, and local laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in virtually all significant aspects of the U.S. economy and society, white women have been the primary beneficiaries of sex equality laws, leaving women of color significantly behind

FAQ on the U.S. Archivist and the Future of the Equal Rights Amendment

On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the Senate will hold hearings on the nomination of Colleen Shogan as the new Archivist of the United States. This FAQ offers a short primer on what the Archivist does, her official role in the finalization of proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the impact of Archivist action on the validity of the ERA

ERA Project Summary of Argument Before PA Supreme Court on Whether Medicaid Abortion Ban Amounts to Sex Discrimination

This morning, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, a case in which reproductive rights advocates have challenged the state’s ban on Medicaid funding for abortion (Coverage Ban), arguing that the ban violates the state constitution’s explicit prohibitions against sex discrimination

WGS: This is What a WGS Student/Alumni Looks Like

Promotional piece for a presentation by Nicolle Littrell, filmmaker and instructor who previewed selections from a new video campaign she produced for the University of Maine Women\u27s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

The Sex Equality Gap: How the 20th Century Sex Equality Paradigm Continues to Leave Women of Color Behind

The United States has a sex equality problem that disproportionately impacts women of color. Despite the passage of sweeping federal, state, and local laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in employment, education, public benefits, housing, healthcare, voting, and in significant aspects of the U.S. economy and society, women — and particularly women of color — continue to experience persistent sex discrimination. These laws, starting with the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, make up what we call the 20th Century Sex Equality Paradigm. At face value, such laws can be credited with having made considerable progress in dismantling stubborn forms of sex-based inequality for women. For instance, in 1960, women earned 60% of what men earned for the same or comparable work, and today that gap has been reduced to about 82%. Yet, a deeper examination of this data reveals a harsher truth: white women have been the primary beneficiaries of sex equality laws, leaving women of color significantly behind. The policy brief examines this equality gap, demonstrating how the existing sex equality paradigm does not adequately account for the ways in which sex and race discrimination intersect with one another. In reality, an approach to combating sex discrimination that ignores or tacks on considerations of race discrimination disguises how the benefits of existing equality measures have been distributed in ways that center white women and further marginalize women of color. Thus, the implicit focus on the experiences of white women that is built into the current sex equality paradigm creates an equality gap that is itself a serious problem of gender-based injustice. The paper utilizes comparative data to measure the extent of sex-based inequality in society for women of color as compared with their white female counterparts

Ting Ting Cheng Appointed as Director of Columbia Law School’s ERA Project

New York, New York — Today, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Project at Columbia Law School announced that Ting Ting Cheng has been appointed as the Project’s first Director. Ms. Cheng has wide-ranging experience as an advocate for gender justice and brings an ambitious strategic vision to the ERA Project’s work

Women\u27s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Graduation Celebration

Invitation to the 2017 graduation celebration for students of Women\u27s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies