Mick Jagger Urges Illinois To Pass Equal Rights Amendment

SPRINGFIELD, IL — In the era of #MeToo and more than 35 years after the deadline, rocker Mick Jagger is pleading with Illinois lawmakers to finally ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. In an open letter to Illinois lawmakers, the Rolling Stones frontman asked Illinois reps to "please vote yes" on the ERA.

Daughter Elizabeth Jagger shared the letter from her father on her Instagram account.

"I have three daughters who are US Citizens and they should all deserve equal rights under the Constitution of the United States," the rock star wrote.

The letter came weeks after the Illinois Senate — at long last — voted to ratify the amendment to the Constitution with a 43-12 vote. The legislation, even if approved in Illinois, could wind up being largely symbolic, since the amendment required 38 states to ratify it by a 1982 deadline. Just 35 states approved the amendment by that date.

The proposed amendment states that civil rights cannot be denied on the basis of an individual sex. It was approved by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification.

The Illinois Senate's vote is part of a push for a "three-state solution" maintaining that Congress can extend the 1982 deadline and the amendment can take effect if three more states vote yes, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois' bill to ratify the amendment is now awaiting a House vote.

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