Tammy Simkins became an advocate for the ratification of the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) in 2012. That year she learned through her women and gender studies at Ohio University that the E.R.A. had not yet finished the ratification process. As an American, Tammy was outraged to discover that the E.R.A.’s absence from the Constitution means sex discrimination is not outlawed under national law. As a woman–a mother, a daughter, a sister, and friend–she was alarmed as to what the future might hold for a country when it fails to include in its bedrock documents this simple guarantee: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Ever since Tammy learned the truth, she has remained committed, continuing to do all she can to see the E.R.A.’s ratification process completed.

Some of Tammy’s accomplishments in moving the E.R.A. forward include co-authoring and coordinating the successful “We The People” 2013 E.R.A. White House Petition which officially put the Obama Administration on the record as a supporter of the E.R.A. and brought grassroots E.R.A. advocates together–especially through social media–to work together. The E.R.A. White House Petition led to the formation of E.R.A. Action, which Tammy proudly co-founded and co-directed to gain national support for the joint resolution: removing the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment while simultaneously assisting E.R.A. advocates working on the ground in unratified states. Of special note is the work done in NV and IL which assisted in making those states number 36 and 37 to ratify the E.R.A.

Tammy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ohio University with a Bachelor’s of Specialized Studies and an Undergraduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies. In 2013, Tammy was presented with the a Ohio University-Chillicothe Heritage Day Award for her work on the E.R.A. Tammy currently collaborates to move the E.R.A. forward as co-host on THE CALL to Pass The Equal Rights Amendment.

A native and life-long resident of Chillicothe, Ohio, Tammy was born the daughter of devoted teenage parents who instilled in her the attributes which led to her devotion to the cause. Her activist spirit came from her mom who taught her from an early age to stand up for right and trained her to take part in the governmental process. Her dad ingrained in her the principle of family devotion with the belief that once a parent, one’s primary role is to protect their children. Tammy and her husband share three daughters, a grandson, and two granddaughters. It is for their future, and the future of all Americans, she works to ensure the E.R.A. is ratified