Equality California (EQCA) is a left-of-center social-issues advocacy group. It claims to be the largest statewide “LGBTQ+ civil rights organization” in the United States and the only such organization working at the local, state, and national levels focused on California.

Equality California is a 501(c)(4) advocacy group. Its charitable arm is known as Equality California Institute.

Background

Equality California claims to be the largest statewide “LGBTQ+ civil rights organization” in the United States. ¹ It was founded in 1999 as the “California Alliance for Pride and Equality (CAPE).” It formally changed it name to Equality California in 2003, and in 2004 it merged with a different LGBT-interest group, Marriage Equality California. ²

Activities

EQCA works at the local, state, and national levels of the state of California to advocate and litigate for LGBT interests. It works to mobilize voters to vote for left-of-center politicians, pressures politicians to pass legislation in California and at the federal level that advances social-liberal agendas, pushes for the inclusion of LGBT-favorable material in schools and in courtrooms, and seeks to transform the health care system of the state of California. ³

In 2008, Equality California opposed California’s Proposition 8 measure which reversed a previous decision made by the California state government to recognize same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 passed at the ballot. ^{4 5} After Proposition 8 passed, EQCA conducted an advocacy campaign to restore recognition of same-sex marriage. ⁶

EQCA is a member of Equality Federation, a national capacity building organization that serves the needs of LGBT groups, usually those operating at state levels. ⁷

Criticism

In March 2023, right-of-center media outlet Free Beacon published an article about Equality California that held the group responsible for the majority of California’s “radically progressive” laws and “woke” policies, citing the group’s persistent lobbying efforts and its ample financial resources provided to it by major corporate donors. The article claimed that EQCA along with its “Democratic allies” have helped implement policies that enable minors to receive sex changes without their parent’s permission and allow natal males to be imprisoned in female prisons. It also alleged that its Washington, D.C. office was as of 2023 increasingly interested in pursuing lobbying efforts that pursue a left-wing agenda beyond LGBT issues such as the legalization of and expansion of abortion, the granting of legal status to illegal immigrants, and banning firearms. ⁸

Funding

In 2020, EQCA raised $2,045,015 and spent $2,305,713. It finished the year with $190,734 in net assets. ⁹ That year, EQCA granted $49,000 to Yes on 18 – Vote For Our Future to support an initiative allowing certain 17 year-olds to vote in primary elections and gave $20,000 to Georgia Equality for its “HIV Modernization” program. ¹⁰

EQCA’s supporters and sponsors include Amazon, AT&T, California Teachers Association (CTA), Edison International, the Elizabeth Taylor Foundation, DoorDash, Farmers Insurance, Google, Kaiser Permanente, La Crema Wine, Meta, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County, Reed & Davidson LLP, Sempra Energy, Southwest Airlines, Sutter Health, Tito’s Vodka, Uber, and WeedMaps. ¹¹

Leadership

As of 2023, Tony Hoang was the executive director of Equality California, as well as Silver State Equality, an affiliated LGBT-interests organization in Nevada. He serves as a commissioner on the Innovation and Performance Commission for the City of Los Angeles. He is a board member of Equality Federation and DTLA Proud. He is a member of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE) Leadership Network and the Pacific Council on International Policy. ¹²

In 2023, EQCA’s executive director’s council was comprised of Dolores Huerta, Ricardo Lara, Stuart Milk, and Betty Yee. ¹³

1. “About.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/.
2. “About.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/.
3. “About.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/.
4. “Equality California.” Ballotpedia. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Equality_California.
5. “California Proposition 8.” Ballotpedia. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_8,_Same-Sex_Marriage_Ban_Initiative_(2008).
6. “About.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/.
7. “About.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/.
8. Luthi, Susannah. “The Powerful LGBT Group Behind California’s Most Radical Laws Is Setting Its Sights on Washington.” Free Beacon, March 4, 2023. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/california/the-powerful-lgbt-group-behind-californias-most-radical-laws-is-setting-its-sights-on-washington/
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Equality California. 2020. Lines 12, 18, 22.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Equality California. 2020. Schedule I, Part II.
11. “About.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/.
12. “Our Staff.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/our-staff/.
13. “Our Board.” Equality California. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.eqca.org/about/our-boards/.