April 6, 2019

2019 Legislative Session:

HF13/SF200 Gender equality provided for under the law with constitutional amendment proposal

ERA Testimonies in Opposition of HF13 (PDF)
Testimonies submitted to legislative committee in opposition of the “ERA” billSF919 identical to the Democrat constitutional amendment except that it adds, “Nothing in this article shall be construed to grant, secure, or deny any right relating to abortion or the funding thereof.”

HF13/SF200 SF919 Handout (PDF)

“Equality under the law shall not be abridged or denied on account of gender.”

The question submitted to the people shall be: “Equal Rights Amendment.” They call it the “Equal Rights Amendment.” This isn’t an Equal Rights for Women Amendment; it’s a “Gender Spectrum” Equality Amendment. This is the most anti-woman legislation ever seen. This bill is male domination of women at its worst, because it will incorporate gender identity into constitutional law.

Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podien, author of the “ERA” amendment in her own words:

Asked for the definition of the word gender, Rep. Kunesh-Podien acknowledged there is no legal definition.

“My working definition for gender is a reflection of who you see yourself as, whether it’s male, female, trans, whatever it is, that’s who you are, that’s how you identify yourself as gender.”

Asked why the language of the ERA was changed from “sex” equality to “gender” equality, Rep. Kunesh-Podien said she doesn’t want to be “exclusive.” This ERA is “inclusive of folks who identify in so many different ways. The word gender is all-inclusive of everyone.” This ERA is “not just if you identify as a male or female, but however you identify yourself.”

Asked if she would consider amending the bill to replace the word “gender” with “sex” to remove any ambiguity about the meaning of this constitutional amendment, Rep. Kunesh-Podien said “NO.”

Changing the Minnesota Constitution to enforce gender identity ideology on our children and on our land is both revolutionary and totalitarian.

Men and boys who feel like they are women and girls are now dominating women and girls’ sports. To adopt gender identity as if it is the equivalent of biological sex destroys the very concept of girls’ and women’s sports. Girls and women are now being forced to shower with boys and men and their personal privacy is being violated in bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight school activities.

This amendment destroys the very concept of female! “Shall not be abridged in law on account of gender” would establish the spectrum of more than 87 genders into marriage law, family law, adoption law, school policies and curriculum, sports, business law, freedom to speak and freedom of faith.

Gender Identity is a feeling about who you are and it is a sexual behavior. Feelings are changeable. If this ERA constitutional amendment were presented to voters and were it to pass, endless lawsuits would ensue. In fact, a moving force behind HF13 is Gender Justice, a gender litigation law firm.

The following are some examples of the amendment’s consequences:

  • No constitutional right to distinguish between boys and girls in any place or in any way
  • The safety of girls and the privacy of girls and boys eliminated, whether in bathrooms, showers, locker rooms, or school overnight accommodations
  • The end of girls’ sports competition
  • Embedding gender identity into school curriculum and activities
  • Parents required to give gender altering drugs to children who request it
  • Children removed from their parents if parents not affirming of a gender change
  • Counselors unable to help people go straight, even if clients wish to do so.
  • Teachers fired for not using certain requested pronouns
  • Schools sued for not requiring teachers to use certain names and pronouns
  • No information about inherent biological gender distinctions allowed in schools, libraries and churches
  • No sex-based dress codes allowed
  • Many obscenity laws based on gender declared unconstitutional
  • All laws, including business, marriage and family law changed to be gender neutral
  • Books in libraries banned for not being gender neutral

Women’s/Girls’ Sports