In 2004, the Institute integrated two groups into its organization: Marriage Equality California (MECA), a statewide grassroots organization with a membership of over 50,000 activists and volunteers, and the California Freedom to Marry Coalition. The goal is to increase the civic participation of glbtq Californians in the public dialogue over glbtq rights.

There are currently 23 volunteer chapters of EQCA throughout the state whose primary focus is marriage equality. The chapters have monthly meetings in order to disseminate information and plan community activities in order to put a face to the issues.

Sponsor Message.

EQCA PAC

The newly formed EQCA PAC endorses candidates and supports their campaigns through volunteers and donations in order to expand the number of glbtq-supportive legislators in California. In the 2004 election cycle, over 85% of Equality California-endorsed candidates won their races.

[Proposition 8

In the summer of 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage in the state was unconstitutional. The result of that ruling was to legalize same-sex marriage. Thousands of Californians, as well as numerous out-of-state couples, soon flocked to the city halls and courthouses to apply for marriage licenses.

The euphoria over the court victory and the new marriages soon gave way to concern when it became obvious that the opponents of same-sex marriage had qualified an amendment to the state constitution limiting marriage to a union of one man and one woman.

Equality California took a lead role in organizing the campaign against the amendment, known as Proposition 8. Although the organization succeeded in raising huge amounts of money to oppose Proposition 8, the campaign itself was widely perceived as tepid and ineffective. The proposition was narrowly approved in November 2008.

Since the loss at the ballot box, Equality California has been roundly criticized for running an inept campaign that did a poor job in reaching out to minority communities and countering the misinformation and fear-mongering of the opponents of same-sex marriage.

The campaign even failed to use a letter from Presidential candidate Barrack Obama opposing Proposition 8. Obama, who carried the state overwhelmingly, declared his opposition to "the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states." Considering Obama's popularity in the state, especially among minorities, the failure to use this letter, while the proponents of Propostion 8 were trumpeting the opposition to same-sex marriage of both Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain, has baffled many observers.]

Conclusion

In its brief history, Equality California has become one of the most effective glbtq advocacy organizations in the United States. As a result, California has been transformed from a state with severely circumscribed rights for its glbtq citizens to one of the states with the most comprehensive civil rights protections for glbtq people.

[In the fallout from the passage of Proposition 8, however, the organization has come under criticism for having allegedly run a campaign characterized by mismanagement and ineptness. Critics have blamed the organization for a defeat that may have set back the equal rights movement for years.]

Anti-discrimination statutes and ordinances have made a real difference in the lives of millions of glbtq individuals.

"Domestic partnership" is the generic term for a variety of forms of legal and institutional recognition of same-sex couples that fall short of same-sex marriage.

In the United States, glbtq candidates have achieved some significant successes at the ballot box in the last three decades, running for and winning local, state, and national elections.

Hate Crimes are crimes towards persons or groups motivated by the victim's race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The glbtq history of Los Angeles, the U.S.'s second largest metropolis, is replete with cultural, social, and political firsts.

The explosion of political blogs has served to multiply greatly the number of voices    participating in glbtq activism and to expedite the transmission of political information to glbtq communities.

Political scientists have generated insights important to the study of sexuality through research into glbtq participation in formal politics, studies of sexuality as a category of power, and reconceptualizations of the relationship between sexuality and politics.

Lesbian and gay couples have been fighting for the freedom to marry since the dawn of the modern glbtq struggle for equality; despite some success abroad, progress toward same-sex marriage in the United States has been slow.

Although work remains to be done, the expansion of protection from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation stands as one of the significant accomplishments of the American lesbian and gay civil rights movement.

The Empire State Pride Agenda, which lobbies New York governments at both state and local levels for equal rights, is recognized as among the strongest statewide glbtq political organizations in the United States.

The largest glbtq political organization in the United States, the Human Rights Campaign has emerged as the leading national organization representing glbtq concerns.

Once best known as a youthful actor, Sheila James Kuehl is now a respected California state legislator and a vigorous advocate for glbtq rights.

The oldest continuously operating national glbtq interest group, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has played a significant role in the development of the glbtq movement for equal rights.

Founded in 1977 as the Lesbian Rights Project, the National Center for Lesbian Rights is a public interest law firm committed to advancing the civil and human rights of glbtq people through litigation, advocacy, and education.

Diane Whipple, the coach of the women's lacrosse team at Saint Mary's College in California, was killed in a dog-mauling; the response of her partner helped establish the right of same-sex partners to equal treatment with heterosexuals.