What We Do
We Educate
API Equality educates API community members on the importance of marriage equality. We host film screenings, speak at conferences, and table at community events throughout the year to engage hundreds of community members one-on-one on why they should support marriage equality. See a list of our participating events here.
In addition, we organize several press conferences throughout the year to generate earned media in the API and English press (radio, print, and television) to promote the issue broadly in the API community. See a list of our press releases here.
As part of our newest effort to promote overall LGBT acceptance in the API community, we are also working to develop tools and resources for API families to learn how to love and accept their LGBT children.
We Organize
API Equality organizes community members and organizations to get active and engaged in the marriage equality movement. We have convened API community leaders in Los Angeles and San Francisco to promote support for marriage equality locally, and plan to hold additional convenings throughout California to engage more leaders.
Through our coalition building efforts, we have secured endorsements for marriage equality from over 75 API organizations nationally, and continue to work with API organizations to take formal stands in support of the issue and to educate their respective memberships about the freedom to marry.
Finally, API Equality works in close partnership with numerous API and LGBT organizations and campaigns to advance marriage equality and LGBT acceptance. We are a founding member of the Network on Religion and Justice for API LGBT People to promote acceptance of LGBT people in the API faith community and serve on the executive committees of both the Equality for All and the Let California Ring campaigns in California.
We Advocate
API Equality advocates for marriage equality in the courts and in the legislature. On the legal front, API Equality has signed onto numerous amicus briefs in support of statewide lawsuits to advance marriage equality, as well as spearheaded the development of groundbreaking API-focused amicus briefs in support of the California Marriage Cases. We continue to participate in marriage litigation as the opportunities arise.
On the legislative front, API Equality continues to be a strong advocate for the passage of a marriage equality bill in California. We have previously organized a People of Color Lobby Day in support of a marriage equality bill and collected several hundreds of signed postcards urging the Governor to sign marriage legislation into law. API Equality will continue to lobby for a marriage equality bill until same-sex couples secure the freedom to marry in California.