With over 900,000 members, Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. And we’re California’s only LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working at the local, state and national levels.

Our Mission

Equality California brings the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating, and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve.

Our Work

We’re fighting for full LGBTQ+ equality in a variety of ways:

Electing pro-equality leaders up and down the ballot

Passing pro-equality legislation in Sacramento and Washington, DC

Fighting for LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice in the courtroom

Reducing disparities in LGBTQ+ health and well-being through education and advocacy

Equality California is made up of three separate organizations working together to advance civil rights and social justice:

Equality California is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that works to achieve full, lived LGBTQ+ equality by electing pro-equality leaders, passing pro-equality legislation and fighting for LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice in the courtroom.

Equality California Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to achieve full, lived LGBTQ+ equality by reducing disparities in LGBTQ+ health and well-being, developing a pipeline of LGBTQ+ leaders and increasing civic participation within the LGBTQ+ community.

Equality California PACs support viable pro-equality candidates running for local, state and federal offices who have a proven track record of supporting civil rights and social justice for LGBTQ+ people and who are committed to advancing these goals in their capacity as elected officials.

Silver State Equality is Nevada’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization and is affiliated with and supported by Equality California. Together, we’re fighting for full LGBTQ+ equality in California, Nevada and across the country.

Equality California is a member of Equality Federation.

Our History

For over 20 years, Equality California has led the Golden State’s fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice. Originally founded in 1999 as the California Alliance for Pride and Equality (CAPE), we became Equality California in 2003 then merged with Marriage Equality California in 2004 into what ultimately became the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.

We championed the fight for marriage equality, suing the State of California and winning the freedom to marry for the first time in the In re marriage cases. And when voters passed Proposition 8, taking away that freedom in 2008, we continued fighting until marriage equality was restored.

Even as marriage equality dominated the headlines, Equality California worked with the California Legislature to pass the strongest statewide civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people in the country. And we helped to elect hundreds of pro-equality candidates to office — up and down the ballot — building a robust bench of LGBTQ+ and allied leaders to champion our cause and fight alongside us for full lived equality.

Over the past few years, the LGBTQ+ community has been in the fight of our lives. The Trump-Pence Administration has targeted the LGBTQ+ community and attacked many of the diverse communities to which LGBTQ+ people belong.

But even in the face of adversity, we aren’t going anywhere. We’ve taken the fight to Washington, DC — opening a national policy office in 2017 — and mobilized our community on the front lines of the resistance to the president’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. And we’ve made California a beacon of hope for LGBTQ people across the country, while creating a roadmap for other states to follow.

Now, we’re striving to create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. Marriage equality and basic civil rights protections are important, but we’re also committed to reducing disparities in health and well-being that LGBTQ+ people face. We’re working to make sure the institutions to which people turn in times of need or crisis — schools, healthcare providers, faith-based organizations and law enforcement — have the tools and training they need to support LGBTQ+ people. And we’re fighting for members of the LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities to which LGBTQ+ people belong.

We’ve been in this fight for 20 years. And we’ll keep fighting, until the work is done.