Alyssa Milano Hits Capitol Hill to Push Equal Rights Amendment

Equal Rights Amendment
Rainmaker Photo/MediaPunch /IPX

Actress and Left-wing activist Alyssa Milano appeared alongside Democratic Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Jackie Speier outside the Capitol on Wednesday to express her support in ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

Milano testified at a shadow hearing hosted by Rep. Maloney in the Rayburn House Office Building — a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement, Milano tweeted about her appearance before the lawmakers and her push for ERA on Twitter.

“The #MeToo movement was such a powerful phenomenon because for far too long, women have not felt heard,” Milano said in a statement. “It’s hard to empower women when they are not recognized as part of our constitution. Now is the time for that to change and for the ERA to become part of the law for our nation.”

“Women came together, in the last year, to say ‘Me Too.’ We supported each other and we held men accountable by saying ‘Time’s Up.’ Well, I’m here today to say, the time is now to pass the ERA so that all citizens of our country have the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Milano said during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

The Charmed alum is no stranger to the political limelight but mostly regarding her conflict with national firearms interests. In early April, the actress publicly blamed the National Rifle Association for the shooting at YouTube HQ, saying that if the organization was “run by brown or black people, it would be labeled a terrorist organization with hate propaganda programming that incites violence.” Later that same month, Milano led a protest at a Dallas NRA convention, and started a petition asking Vice President Mike Pence to skip the event. A week later on May 7, Milano tweeted a “Gun Safety Bill of Rights.”

Milano’s support of the ERA is significantly less controversial. The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which, in essence, is meant to dissolve any differences between sexes in matters such as divorce, property ownership, and employment.

The ERA was originally introduced in 1972, where it was ratified by 35 states — just three short of being added. And while Congress set a deadline for its ratification in 1982, there are many lawmakers who believe it is still valid. Illinois and Nevada recently ratified the amendment, and others have put forth legislation aimed at retracting the original deadline so that the amendment can be integrated.

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