Trump must recognize the Equal Rights Amendment. Here’s my plan.

Raph Graybill
2 min readMay 13, 2020

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This year, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was finally ratified by 38 states. The Equal Rights Amendment guarantees the equality of all Americans, regardless of gender. It reflects our Montana values and makes them part of the U.S. Constitution. It should now be the law of the land.

But the Trump Administration won’t recognize the ERA’s ratification and make the voice of the people a part of our U.S. Constitution.

State Attorneys General across the country have gone to court to force Trump to do what’s right. Even though Montana ratified the ERA decades ago, our Montana Attorney General is nowhere to be seen.

It’s shameful. Montanans fought for equality for women, voting to ratify the federal amendment and include the same protections in our state constitution in the 1970s!

Equal treatment under the law is one of our highest ideals. It’s our chance to start to make amends for historical injustices, and move toward a more just and equal society.

As Montanans committed to equality — and all too familiar with the enduring legacy of gender discrimination in American society — our Attorney General’s failure to stand up for us is wrong.

Montanans should have the protections of the ERA– providing for equality for women in employment and wages, insurance coverage, and continuing to provide protections for a woman’s private healthcare decisions. And our lawyer, the Attorney General, should be fighting for us to make the federal government recognize it.

As your Attorney General, I’ll personally represent Montana in the effort to recognize the ERA. I’m the only candidate for Attorney General who’s beaten Trump and his lawyers in court. That’s the kind of real advocacy we need. That’s why I’m running to be your next Attorney General.

I’ll fight to make sure the Trump Administration recognizes the people’s work to ratify the ERA, and that it becomes part of our United States Constitution forever.

I ask for your support in our campaign to elect an Attorney General who fights for us.

–Raph

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Raph Graybill

Raph Graybill is a Democratic Candidate for Montana Attorney General. He was born in Great Falls and is currently Governor Bullock’s Chief Legal Counsel.