Staten Island man launches campaign to highlight ‘vital’ New York City ballot proposal; that’s why

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Stapleton resident Laurie Honor has been an activist in the Staten Island community for years, but there is no issue she cares more about than equality for all.

Co-founder of Staten Island Women who march Honor is Chief of Staff Vote for equalitya national organization whose mission is to draw attention to the fact that gender equality is not provided for in the US Constitution. In this role, Honor’s latest push for equality is a grassroots effort to bring attention to Proposition 1, commonly known as the New York Equal Rights Amendment, which appears on New Yorkers’ ballots in 2024.

Simply put, Sentence 1 aims to protect access to abortion in New York and add new protected classes to the state’s Equal Rights Amendment, prohibiting discrimination against any person or group.

“We essentially passed the 28th Amendment, the Equal Rights Amendment, after more than 100 years of advocacy. However, this has not yet been published in the Constitution,” Honor explained. “This is very, very important and we hope that this will be a priority in the new administration. But in the meantime, every state is trying to figure out how we can protect more of our people, in our communities, in our neighborhoods. This is New York’s No. 1 offering.”

“Thirty-eight of the 50 states have passed the Equal Rights Amendment, including New York, but New York is committed to expanding protections, so we have the right and responsibility to figure out how we can do that,” Honor continued.

Mass movement

For this reason, Honor organized a grassroots movement of mostly women who distributed flyers and information about Proposition 1 throughout Staten Island. Their goal is to inform area residents about the ballot proposal.

“This is a classic grassroots organization. This is social capital. This is a call to your friends. This is drawing up a voting plan. This tells the people opposite that this is not politics. This is literally about equality,” Honor said. “If you believe in equality, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat; it means you really care about people—the people around you, the people in our community—and you want to do everything you can to recognize their humanity.”

The Rev. Kirstin Swanson, a Mariners Harbor resident, Episcopal priest and missionary who is working with Honor to educate the community about Proposition 1, said, “To me, Proposition 1 is about equal protection under the law. In my opinion, it comes from the belief that every person deserves to be considered equal before the law, and this is a way to ensure that by enshrining it in the state constitution.”

Swanson, who noted that she was not speaking on behalf of her organization, the Richmond Interparish Council, added: “To me, we are all equally beautifully created in the image of God. And if our laws do not treat us in a way that recognizes that equality, then we need to do everything we can to change our laws so that they recognize that equality. And I think that’s what Proposition 1 is.”

What is Proposition 1?

Sentence 1 reads:

“No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this State or any subdivision thereof. No one has rights because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed(s), religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health and autonomy, not to be subjected to any discrimination in his civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation or institution, or by the State or any agency or subdivision of a State, in accordance with the law.”

Opposition to Proposition 1

Many Republicans weighed in on the voting proposal. Several elected officials on the island have spoken out against the proposal regarding transgender people in sports.

“We are here to say that we are not going after abortion. In fact, no one is resorting to abortion, which is a right they have been trying to implement in this state for many years,” Councilman Joe Borelli said at a recent event. City hall meeting against proposal 1. “This is a vote against your parental rights. This is a vote against women’s athletics. This is a vote against your choice. This is a vote against freedom of expression, which is enshrined in the state constitution.”