Mission

The Shades of Equality Coalition was established to couple the fight for marriage equality with larger struggles for democracy, justice, peace and sustainability by fostering whole people, healed communities and incredibly effective movements.

Click here to read more about our Emerging Vision.

History

Shades of Equality Coalition emerged in the struggles against California's Proposition 8 - in response to the failures of the official No on Prop 8 campaign to build a cross-class, interfaith, intergenerational, multiracial, etc. coalition necessary for victory at the polls.

While stripping any people of their rights is always a tragedy, we are clear that the passage of Proposition 8 is not just about marriage equality, nor just about LGBTIQ (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Intersexed-Queer) rights. Instead, the passage of Proposition 8 is a desecration of democracy of the worst sort - which links the movement for marriage equality with similar struggles for fundamental rights throughout history and around the globe.

Further, the profound "othering" (the excluding, blaming and demonizing of people because of age, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc.) that occurred in the struggle against Prop 8 and in the wake of its passage - often and absurdly by people who themselves had been subject to oppression because of their various social identities (including "othering" by many members of the LGBTIQ community whose rights had just been denied) - portrayed humanity at some of its worst.

It is in this light that Shades of Equality Coalition coined our tagline, "Marriage Equality: Necessary But Not Sufficient." We stand for marriage equality in the context of and in support of other struggles for democracy, justice, peace and sustainability at this pivotal time in the history of our planet.