After Democrats took control of the Virginia State Legislature earlier this month, one of the most talked about legislative gains is the possible ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

The ERA would grant all American citizens equal legal rights regardless of sex, banning discrimination on the basis of sex. Thirty-seven of the necessary 38 states have already passed the amendment and with Virginia’s almost assured passage of the ERA (It failed in the Virginia Senate by just one vote while under Republican control earlier this year), the ratification of this amendment is the closest it’s ever been.

That all sounds simple, right?  Virginia passes the amendment, the ERA is ratified and women are (finally) granted equal protection under the constitution. But in practice, the list of legal and constitutional questions goes on and on.