Equality California or EQCA is a non-profit civil rights

Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...

 organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 people in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Early history

Equality California began in 1998 as the California Alliance for Pride and Equality (CAPE), and the CAPE Foundation was launched in 2000 to expand education and outreach efforts. In 2003, the organizations became Equality California, the EQCA Institute and EQCA Political Action Committee. During that time, the organization grew exponentially under the new leadership of Executive Director Geoffrey Kors, Board President John Duran, PAC President Diane Abbitt and Institute President Jody Cole.

Merger with MECA

In 2004, EQCA merged with a similar organization working on LGBT rights called Marriage Equality California

Marriage Equality California

Marriage Equality California is the now defunct California chapter of Marriage Equality USA.Founded in 1998, MECA was the grassroots organization fighting to secure the legal recognition of same-sex marriage through education and outreach in California...

 in order to better coordinate efforts to pass marriage equality legislation in California. Prior to the merger MECA existed as the California based grassroots organizing wing of their national counterpart Marriage Equality USA. While EQCA efforts were focused primarily on top level legislative lobbying and media efforts, Marriage Equality California had an extensive network of local activists all over the state organizing around the issue of marriage equality at the grassroots level.

From Marriage Equality USA, EQCA subsumed both the local grassroots organizing chapters of MECA throughout California, as well as hiring their volunteer leadership to become the field staff. The new consolidated programs became a co-branded joint project of EQCA and MECA under the direction of Molly McKay

Molly McKay

Molly B. McKay, born September 9, 1970, is an attorney and a civil rights activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals. McKay was the former Co-Executive Director of Marriage Equality California and the former Media Director for Marriage Equality USA...

 and Geoffrey Kors.

For several years local chapters and staff worked as part of the joint project, until eventually the decision was made to drop joint branding and the program became the Equality California field team.

Equality California

EQCA has sponsored and helped lobby for the passage of more than 85 bills supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the California Legislature, including the nation’s first same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....

 bill approved by a legislative body (AB 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno

Mark Leno

Mark Leno is an American politician, representing California's 3rd Senate district, which includes parts of San Francisco and Sonoma County, as well as the entirety of Marin County. He was elected in 2008 and is the first openly gay man to serve in the Senate...

, D-San Francisco). On behalf of its members, EQCA was the organizational plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...

 (ACLU), Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender communities as well as people living with HIV/AIDS through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.Lambda's founder William J. Thom, Esq...

and several law firms challenging California’s marriage laws that exclude same-sex couples. The California Supreme Court on May 15, 2008 ruled that all Californians have the freedom to marry. The landmark decision ended the state ban on marriage for same-gender couples. Same-gender couples were able to marry as of June 16, 2008.

Equality California Institute

Equality California Institute educates LGBT people and the public at large about issues impacting the LGBT community and our allies. EQCAI empowers and organizes individuals, communities and allied groups to work proactively for fairness, equality and justice.

EQCAI leads Let California Ring, a public education campaign to open hearts and minds about the freedom to marry, and the Equality Alliance, a broad coalition of LGBT and non-LGBT groups working together to further human rights. The Institute also directs the LGBT Health and Human Services Network and is a sponsor of the California Transgender Leadership Summit and Queer Youth Advocacy Day.

Let California Ring

Let California Ring is a public education designed to campaign for open hearts and minds about the freedom to marry and the respect, support, protections, and responsibilities that come with marriage. Let California Ring is a project of Equality California Institute, working in a diverse coalition of over 60 national, state and local organizations.

Political action committees

Equality California’s Political Action Committee advocates for candidates who support full equality for all Californians and issues that protect the civil rights of all people, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). EQCA’s PACs also work to fight efforts that could delay LGBT progress toward full equality.

NO on 8 – Equality California

NO on 8 – Equality California works in conjunction with NO on 8, Equality for All, and a coalition of diverse organizations working to stop and defeat Proposition 8. Prop. 8 is the November 4 Primary Election ballot initiative that would deny same-sex couples the right to marry under California law. EQCA is a founding member of Equality for All and is one of the campaign’s most significant contributors.

Equality California Candidate PAC

EQCA’s Candidate PAC endorses candidates it identifies as fair-minded and supports the campaigns of policy leaders who advocate the fair and equal treatment of all Californians, including those who identify as LGBT. The Candidate PAC works to expand the number of equality-minded representatives in Sacramento, ensuring that the LGBT community can continue progress toward equality. EQCA’s Candidate PAC only endorses candidates that support equality for all members of the LGBT community 100 percent of the time.