New York’s ‘equal rights’ constitutional amendment restored to ballot by appeals court

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A proposed amendment to New York’s constitution barring discrimination based on “gender identity” and “pregnancy outcomes” was restored to the November election ballot by a state appeals court. A panel of midlevel appellate judges on Tuesday overturned a May decision by an upstate judge to strike the proposed Equal Rights Amendment from the ballot because of a procedural error. The appeals judges said the people who had sued to try and block the amendment had missed a deadline to bring their legal challenge. The New York Constitution currently bans discrimination based on race, color, creed or religion. The proposed amendment would add several categories, including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive health care and autonomy.