Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the proposed amendment expands equal protection under the law to several new identity classes, including on the basis of:

• Ethnicity,  national origin, age, disability, and sex. Sex includes sexual orientation,  gender identity, gender expression,  pregnancy,  pregnancy outcomes, reproductive healthcare, and autonomy.

  • With these enumerations, this amendment guarantees a constitutional right to reproductive healthcare for any individual in the state of New York. It also protects marriage equality and other rights that the Supreme Court has endangered.
  • Additionally, this amendment preserves laws designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of these characteristics such as affirmative action.