Equality California
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA
EQCA is California’s LGBT civil rights and advocacy organization. Equality California leads efforts for LGBT civil rights at the state level through an array of strategies including sponsoring legislation and leading efforts to ensure their passage, lobbying legislators and other government officials, building coalitions, and empowering other organizations and individuals to engage in the political process. EQCA, working in partnership with California’s LGBT Legislative Caucus, has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited rights for LGBT individuals to the state with the most comprehensive LGBT civil rights protections in the nation.
EQCA, on behalf of its members, is the organizational plaintiff in the affirmative lawsuit filed by NCLR, ACLU, Lambda and several law firms challenging California’s discriminatory marriage laws. Additionally, EQCA was a defendant in the lawsuit seeking to overturn California’s domestic partnership law, which EQCA had sponsored. With dozens of chapters around the state, Equality California works to empower and support local activists –LGBT and non-LGBT – in the fight for legal equality for same-sex couples and their children through media visibility and public education within local communities.
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE
The EQCA Institute informs LGBT people and the public at large about issues impacting the LGBT community and our allies, trains them to respond and work proactively for LGBT equality, and connects communities working for justice and civil rights for all. Equality California Institute projects focus on organizing community forums and legislative briefings, educating voters, creating and distributing educational materials and mobilizing activists. Equality California Institute leads the Equality Alliance (formerly the California Freedom to Marry Coalition), a formal coalition of LGBT and allied organizations working together to secure LGBT equality in California. The Equality Alliance coordinates coalition working groups around the state to share information, materials and messaging.
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA PAC
The EQCA PAC endorses candidates and supports their campaigns through donations, targeted mail and volunteer muscle. The Equality California PAC works to expand the number of equality-minded representatives in Sacramento and to ensure that we can continue our progress toward true equality.