The city of Reno is located in Nevada. Nevada voters have adopted the most comprehensive state version of the Equal Rights Amendment, a sweeping update that puts protections in the state constitution for people who have historically been marginalized.
Equal rights for all, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin are guaranteed by Nevada's constitution.
The federal Equal Rights Amendment, which outlaws discrimination based on sex, was adopted in Nevada in 2017.
Proponents of Nevada'sERA say that it will provide new tools to challenge discrimination and close loopholes where those rights are not guaranteed. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-sponsored the bill to get it on the ballot, cited age protections for older workers laid off during the Pandemic as one of the differences that the amendment will make.
The committee backing the initiative was thrilled to see the support for the measure.
The group said that Nevadans have rejected hate and declared that their differences should be protected.
Conservatives oppose protections for gender identity and expression and age. They argued that allowing gay marriage could affect freedom of religion. They argued against adding protections for trans people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
It is not clear how the amendment will be implemented.
The federal amendment was adopted by 38 states in 2020.
Five states, including Nebraska, Tennessee, Idaho, Kentucky and South Dakota, have tried to get rid of their prior approval. The federal version can be supported by individual states, though not by the U.S. constitution.
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