Equal rights amendments

In True Blood, HBO's racy vampire series, the vampires are struggling to pass the Vampire Rights Amendment, guaranteeing equal rights to vampires. In reality, the United States never successfully passed the Equal Rights Amendment, which guarantees equal rights regardless of sex.

Written in 1923 by Alice Paul, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was not adopted by Congress until 1972. The text of the amendment reads:
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

The amendment was not ratified by enough states before its 1982 deadline, and thus was defeated. Although it is re-introduced every year, it has yet to be passed.

Although there remains debate on both sides of the issue (if it passed, would women have to register for the draft? what are the implications for labor protection for women? what are the implications for abortion rights for women? would it erode traditional male/female gender roles?), it appalls me that the country still refuses to admit equality for half its populace.

I wonder how much Alan Ball (creator of True Blood) is familiar with the Equal Rights Amendment. He is known for infusing his shows with politically-charged commentaries on the current state of society (and society's ignorance).

So take this opportunity provided by sexy vampires to learn about the Equal Rights Amendment (http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Rights_Amendment).