The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) is a nonprofit organization created to support the plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger

Perry v. Schwarzenegger

Perry v. Schwarzenegger is a federal lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California challenging the federal constitutionality of Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that amended the California Constitution to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples,...

, a federal lawsuit to overturn Proposition 8

California Proposition 8 (2008)

Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...

 in California. AFER retained former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson

Theodore Olson

Theodore Bevry Olson is a former United States Solicitor General, serving from June 2001 to July 2004 under President George W. Bush.- Early life :...

 and David Boies

David Boies

David Boies is an American lawyer and chairman of the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner. He has been involved in various high-profile cases in the United States.-Early life and education:...

 (who worked on opposite sides in Bush v. Gore

Bush v. Gore

Bush v. Gore, , is the landmark United States Supreme Court decision on December 12, 2000, that effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush. Only eight days earlier, the United States Supreme Court had unanimously decided the closely related case of Bush v...

) to file the suit.

AFER was founded by political consultant Chad Griffin. AFER board members include Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner

Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...

 and Bruce Cohen

Bruce Cohen

Bruce Cohen is an American film producer. Cohen and his producing partner, Dan Jinks, run The Jinks/ Cohen Company. Cohen and Jinks produced American Beauty, winner of the 1999 Academy Award for Best Picture...

.