(Andrew Harnik | AP File) In this May 25, 2017 photo, Penny Nance with Concerned Women for America speaks during a meeting held by Budget Director Mick Mulvaney in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are confident Virginia is on the verge of becoming the critical 38th state to ratify the gender equality measure. The proposed 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution faces a host of likely legal challenges and vehement opposition from conservative activists who depict the ERA as a threat to their stances on abortion and transgender rights.