Equal Rights Advocates disheartened by presidential election results, determined to continue fighting for gender justice

November 6. 2024

Statement from Noreen Farrell, Executive Director at Equal Rights Advocates, which fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country

Nov. 6, 2024 — At Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), we believe that in order to improve the lives of millions of women and families across the country, we need elected leaders who will deliver on reproductive rights, equal pay, affordable childcare, and much more. 

Tuesday’s election is a major setback for human rights. We are pained and angered by the misogyny, racism, and xenophobia that marked the Presidential campaign and guided the outcome at the polls. 

We stand strong knowing that the election of Donald Trump is not the end. It is the beginning. It is our call to action. With likely and unlikely allies, we will address systematic attacks against our bodies, our rights, and our communities. Decades of progress in civil rights, workplace protections, reproductive rights, and personal freedoms are all at stake. But let us be clear: Equal Rights Advocates was built for moments like this. Our strength lies in our unity and our unwavering commitment to justice. 

We are clear-eyed about the challenges ahead as the backlash against women’s advancements will only intensify. One of our most urgent priorities is to ensure that our rights are not further stripped away. It’s time for state leaders to take bold action on abortion access, pay equity, and other issues that will be threatened by the incoming president. 

Newly elected leaders must not forget that their duty is to the American people first and foremost. Lawmakers who have women and families’ best interest at heart must double down on issues that matter to them, including bodily autonomy, fair work and pay, voting rights, and student debt relief. With this outcome, we are readying ourselves to both defend and advance gender and human rights. 

The nation must now channel the hope and call for progress embodied by Vice President Kamala Harris’ inspirational campaign. We congratulate candidates who broke barriers in their successful runs, including in the Senate, which now is home for the first time to two Black women representatives (Maryland and Delaware), the first Korean-American (New Jersey) and the first openly transgender representative (Delaware). They have incredible challenges ahead. But we’re heartened to see that voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, have decided to enshrine a right to abortion in their state constitutions. While similar measures did not pass or remain uncertain in other states, we anticipate voter momentum will continue to grow state-by-state to defend reproductive healthcare, including abortion.

The path to justice has never been straight or easy. We remain committed to the hard work of creating lasting, systemic change. Together, we will continue fighting until the promise of equality becomes a reality for all.

To speak to Noreen Farrell, please contact Nazirah Ahmad at [email protected] or 704-290-6869.

About Equal Rights Advocates

Equal Rights Advocates fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country. Since 1974, they have been fighting on the front lines of social justice to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of all gender identities through groundbreaking legal cases and bold legislation that sets the stage for the rest of the nation.