There seem to be a million organizations out there fighting for equality. Equal rights for gays, for women, for Latinos, for the disabled, for trans-people, for the learning impaired, and the list goes on. I have to say, I’m 100% all for equality. I believe there should be equal rights for everyone. However, I think people are going about it all wrong, and unless they start getting it right, things are never going to change.

So, what do I think is the magic ingredient that all of these equal rights groups are missing to make a truly equal society? Unity. That’s it, plain and simple. What we have right now is more and more splinter groups fighting for individual rights. Just as an example, what was once the LGBT front fighting for rights has now broken down into rights groups for gays, lesbians, trans-people and even homosexuals of color. They keep breaking into smaller groups, each clamoring for their own rights. This makes them weaker, with fewer people fighting for what they want.

If people could unite, all with the goal of equality for everyone, they would be far stronger. Can you imagine if all of these little equal rights groups could come together and agree on what rights all people should have? Everyone wants equal access to jobs, equal pay, marriage, education and so on. If they all got together as a united front for change, they could achieve it. As small splinters, they have little power and look like they’re just whiny and unhappy. Come together, and suddenly you have a powerful entity all fighting for change.

I wish people would get this through their heads. Dividing into smaller groups is never going to work. Small groups have to fight harder, they have to raise more money, and they have to get people to care about their individual group. Some people are never going to want certain groups to have rights. However, if everyone united to fight for the rights of all human beings, regardless of color, race, gender, orientation or anything else, they would have a lot more power.

It would be easier for one large group to raise funds and awareness, all working together. Instead of drawing attention to the marginalized groups and dealing with the controversy, everyone could be wrapped in the larger blanket of equality for all. Even the act of working together for a common goal would cause change to start. Instead of thinking about their own small cell, the groups would be thinking about the greater whole, and that would be a good thing.

I’d really like to see these various splinter organizations come together. Unity is the key to achieving anything. People need to work together. The simple truth is, they all want the same things for the most part. Yes, some want special rights, but those could be, and should be, secondary to achieving equality for all people. The real goal is for all human beings to be treated as equal, so that’s what they really need to be fighting for.

Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter