New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is proposing an amendment to the state's constitution establishing sex, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.

Cuomo unveiled the proposal on Friday as part of his "State of the State agenda," and it comes amid a new push to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution establishing equality of the sexes.

New York's state constitution currently outlaws discrimination because of race, color, creed or religion. Cuomo wants to add the other classes to that list.

ADVERTISEMENT

"In New York, we believe in full equality for every person — period," Cuomo said in a statement. "But our federal and state constitutions don't protect against discrimination on the basis of sex, ethnicity, gender identity and other characteristics that make us so unique and our diversity so great. That ends this year."

"We will pass an expanded, nation-leading Equal Rights Amendment so that no matter what happens at the federal level, all New Yorkers will be afforded the complete and unequivocal protections they deserve," he added.

Last year's elections in Virginia, in which Democrats captured both chambers of the legislature, renewed hopes that Virginia would become the 38th state to ratify a national Equal Rights Amendment to prevent sex-based discrimination.

Virginia's passage would help the national amendment cross the three-fourths of states threshold necessary for ratification. Legal questions remain, however, since the amendment was passed by Congress in the 1970s with a deadline that has long since passed.

Three Republican state attorneys general have recently filed a lawsuit stating that the deadline is enforceable and noting that since ratifying the amendment, five states voted to rescind their ratification.