The Financial Prioritization of Gender
December 03, 2025
Intersectional feminism is the key to creating a world where all women can thrive. Intersectionality is informed by various life experiences and identities of women across the globe: class, race, economic status, sexual orientation, and, of course, gender identity.
The notion that the fight for gender equality and women’s rights can be achieved independently of trans women is not only harmful but counterintuitive. The Equal Rights Amendment and trans rights are linked. The 28th Amendment bars discrimination based on sex. The definition of sex is cited by the courts in Bostock v. Clayton County as: “It is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discrimination.. Based on sex.”
Some people hold the harmful belief that trans women are not women, and therefore should not be entitled to the same legal protections as cisgender women. But, the fight for gender equality is undermined the moment we draw lines around who gets to participate or benefit. Feminism loses its power when we start deciding who qualifies as a woman or what kind of woman is worthy.
The ERA Coalition recognizes that Trans women are women. Full stop. Gender and sexuality are fluid experiences of human existence that should be protected and encouraged. If those who are marginalized the most in the women's movement aren’t at the front of the fight, we need to rethink what we are fighting for.
