The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER)—which fought to overturn California’s anti-gay Proposition 8—has announced it is ceasing operations.
The announcement came approximately a month after the U.S. Supreme Court victory on marriage equality and the Freedom To Marry’s decision to close down as well.
Activists Chad Griffin (now the president of the Human Rights Campaign) and Kristina Schake founded AFER in 2009. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Rob and Michele Reiner, and Academy Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen were among those who joined its board. Cleve Jones, Julian Bond and David Mixner were a few on AFER’s advisory board.
Executive Director Adam Umhoefer announced the decision on AFER’s Facebook page. In part, he posted, “Today, because of you—and the pioneering work of organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Freedom to Marry, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)—this group of brave plaintiffs and legal teams have finished the work and won every American the right to marry who they love.”