If we lived in a perfect world, we would all be treated equally despite our genders. We are not anywhere close to living in that world, and we have an overwhelming amount of data to support that. This is why we need the government to protect us with the ERA and hold corporations accountable until they do. I am an Iowa voter living in Colombia.

We need the era to bring america up to par with international standards of equity, infant mortality, sanity! This goes thru ratifying the era.  Dan, live in Israel, vote in Georgia

The ERA is the kind of common-sense legislation that anyone who believes in the promise of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights should support fervently. As a child when I learned about it I was astonished that it wouldn’t pass unanimously in every state and district. To me the feminist movement like other civil rights causes are about human rights and the principles of the Enlightenment that guide our laws. We must all fight to support rights and protections for all people regardless of their race, class, gender, orientation, or religion. That is who we are as Americans. I was blessed with strong female role models in my family who were academics, scientists, and leaders. I saw the way they have struggled in their life and careers to have the same compensation, respect, and recognition for their achievements which often required sacrifices well beyond what would be expected of men in similar professions. I strongly support the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and I will commit to fight for its passage by getting out the vote in elections and raising awareness for these issues in Georgia. Greg Dolezal, Democrats Abroad Viet Nam, Votes in GA

The Equal Rights Amendment will be an exceptional addition to the Constitution allowing women the freedom to express their voices fully and be equally involved in the matters that are important in society. I always remember getting my US Citizenship for the first time in 2008 and moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. My Nana and I drove out to the voting site and it was at that moment when I first voted in the United States of America. It was such an empowering moment for me to be able to do so, and now it's wonderful to be able to vote from abroad. Tina Andres: New Mexico State voter, living in Canada.

“Why do they call it ‘Apollo 11’ when we’re going to the moon, not the sun? It should be named after Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister, Goddess of the moon” I asked my science teacher in front of the class. I was twelve, and puzzled how scientists could make such an obvious mistake. “Well, maybe you should write them to ask!” she replied. So I did. And they surprisingly answered. Unfortunately their generous packages the following two years were lost in the many moves we made. However I do remember their answer didn’t really stand up to my expectations. Why did they name the space program Apollo instead of Artemis? Well, I looked it up today. Abe Silverstein, who was the Director of the Space Flight Development proposed ‘Apollo’ “because it was the name of a god in ancient Greek mythology with attractive connotations and the precedent for naming manned spaceflight projects for mythological gods and heroes had been set with Mercury.” So Artemis didn’t measure up? With today’s clear vision, we know why it wasn’t called Artemis 11. Men were in leadership and women weren’t. Men were astronauts, and women weren’t. No representation, and a lack of recognition, appreciation, value and equality for women- although it was a woman, astrophysicist Katherine Johnson, who got the Apollo 11 mission successfully to the moon and back that July 1969. I understood at a young age that the patriarchy excluded women, exploited women, held them back, and were blind to their contributions and potential- which is precisely why we need the ERA. It is simply not fair, or just, when women’s efforts, excellence and equality aren’t recognized, they’re continually denied their place in history, and their value and contribution is undermined as “less than”. Without the ERA as the 28th amendment of the constitution, there is no gold standard for women. Statistics show the chance of women winning legal cases today is comparable to a coin toss, a 50-50 chance. With the ERA in the Constitution, women’s equality and protection under the law increases to 80%. It wasn’t until 1983 that NASA allowed female astronauts. And it wasn’t until 2017, low and behold, NASA started an International human spaceflight program called Artemis. Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969, Artemis in 2024. Fifty-five years later, a female spaceflight will finally get to the moon. Why did NASA choose Artemis for the name? “The name is very symbolic, because Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, whose name was called the first lunar mission of the USA. In addition, the choice of the goddess is associated with the intention to land the first female astronaut on the Moon in 2024.” Nice recovery. Recognition, Appreciation, Value, and Equality, #RAVE, four gold standards women deserve.  Theresa, living in Italy, voting in state of Washington 

I support the ERA in tribute to my maternal forbears. My grandmother, the daughter of immigrants, was born into a world that did not accord women the right to vote—an injustice she fought to reverse. Her daughter, my mother, a progressive thinker and self-described radical, nevertheless viewed the ERA as first proposed as unnecessary, having absorbed the legal principle from her father (a judge) that a redundant law is a bad law. She later came to realize—as we have seen demonstrated time and again—that being included by implication is not being included at all. It’s long past time to enshrine the ERA into law, for my mother and my grandmother, my sisters and nieces—and for my sons and nephew. --Rachel Eugster, living in Canada, voting in Massachusetts

When I was young, perhaps at the age of 10, I heard the term ERA for the first time. I was watching TV and people were saying some very bad things. I do not remember everything that they were saying but they probably mirrored the critics of that time in the early '70s. I was very close to my Aunt Helen. She was my favorite aunt and I think she would like knowing that I was sharing that widely if she were alive. She was so smart, fun, and a risk-taker, She took me everywhere, taught me tennis, bought me cool records, and had a Thunderbird who would not like an Aunt like that? She asked me what did you hear about the ERA? I told her what I had heard and if I even knew what it was? I did not know at the time. She said let's read it together. She took me to her desk and she pulled out a document from her top drawer. She said to read it with her. I liked reading and showing her I was a good reader so I read out loud to her. I will never forget reading the words 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. She asked me what do you think about that? I told her I thought it was great and why shouldn't everyone be treated equally? She said precisely, all people should be treated equally that is what the ERA says. My eyes still tear up when I read and hear those words because of the meaning of those words and I think of my Aunt Helen. She has been gone for many years but she was a feminist, a leader, a psychologist, and a teacher and so influential on my thinking growing up, and even today I know now that the trajectory of my life changed that day starting on that afternoon. We know all over the world that when women are able to pursue their dreams, for work, family, professional life, business, government, or at home, that communities, countries, can thrive and are safe and more stable. Men must also be part of this effort because equal rights make the lives of everyone better. My mother and my aunts were trailblazers and taught me to be courageous, curious, adventurous, and to love education to discover new things and places, and most importantly equality of rights. Helen is the one that taught me that day and that moment so many years ago, that everyone is equal. Justice must prevail and ERA needs to be added to the foundation of our Democracy. Not one more generation of women should contend with glass ceilings, unequal pay, or laws and rules that discriminate. The time is now. Daniel James, DA Chair Spain, Barcelona, ES and Vote in Arlington, VA

Back in 1975 I read about Title IX in WomenSports magazine and then shared it with a friend whose love of basketball equaled mine. We were inspired to petition our local school board to provide an interscholastic basketball program for girls. Success did not guarantee a life happy-ever-after, but I sure didn't expect this year's women's Sweet Sixteen basketball teams being provided with one dumbbell set and some yoga mats and being fed what looked to me like the worst from junior high cafeteria... Such a slap in the face of these amazing athletes. So far to go, still.. ....smh, George Anna Clark, Arkansan, US-Mexican dual citizen residing in Mexico

I was the CEO of multiple credit unions. During my tenure every position I took (I was a specialist for rehabilitating troubled credit unions). When I took my last position I, not only received awards and accolades for my work, but I had over 30 years experience. When I left that position with the credit union in a much more stable financial position, the credit union hired a "fresh out of college" man at a salary that was over $20,000 more per year than I was making. This happened at every credit union I worked at. I worked hard to ensure our staff was paid equally based on experience. There is definitely a disparity of pay between men and women in the same position. The justification is that a man has to provide for the family and a woman's income is considered secondary. That is not the case and should not be a consideration for salary and benefits.  Marylin, living in Hungary, voting in Washington

The Equal Rights Amendment levels the playing field. It would benefit men and women. The ERA would create a constitutional equality principle that would hold that we can’t have laws or government practices that discriminate on the basis of sex. And that would include laws that discriminate against men. So everyone benefits. Jim Mercereau living in Spain and voting in Florida.