Founded in 2009, Against Equality (A.E.) is an online archive of writings and arts that critique mainstream gay and lesbian politics. A.E. currently focuses on issues regarding the institution of marriage

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

, the U.S. military

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

, and the prison-industrial complex

Prison-industrial complex

"Prison–industrial complex" is a term used to attribute the rapid expansion of the US inmate population to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies. The term is analogous to the military–industrial complex that...

 via hate crime

Hate crime

In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...

s legislation.

Structure

The Against Equality collective is a loose affiliation of radical queer and trans writers, thinkers, and artists. A.E. maintains an online archive of written work and cultural references. Recently, A.E. has expanded into print publications that highlight some of the essays that are on the website.

Publications

A.E. published its first book in 2010. Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage contained essays and op-ed pieces by prominent queer

Queer

Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...

 thinkers, including Kate Bornstein

Kate Bornstein

Kate Bornstein is a Jewish-American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist.-Biography:Born in Neptune City, New Jersey, Bornstein studied Theater Arts with John Emigh and Jim Barnhill at Brown University . Bornstein joined the Church of Scientology but later became...

, Eric Stanley, Dean Spade, Craig Willse, Kenyon Farrow, Kate Raphael, Deeg, John D’Emilio, Ryan Conrad, Yasmin Nair, Martha Jane Kaufman, Katie Miles, and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore is a San Francisco-based author and activist. She has written two novels, So Many Ways to Sleep Badly and Pulling Taffy , and is the editor of the non-fiction anthologies Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity , That's Revolting! Queer Strategies...

. Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage ranked sixth on AK Press Distribution's Top 10 of 2010 list.

A second anthology, Against Equality: Don’t Ask to Fight Their Wars, will be published in the fall of 2011 and will contain a collection of essays and images critiquing the mainstream gay and lesbian politics and its uncritical approach to Don't ask, don't tell

Don't ask, don't tell

"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...

.

Events

A.E. has also traveled extensively to speak at bookstores and colleges and universities across the country.

External links

• Against Equality Archive — official website
• AK Press — Against Equality on AK Press