AFER to close up, send funds to HRC
- Written by Jason Scott
In an email sent to supporters, American Foundation for Equal Rights Executive Director, Adam Umhoefer reveals they are closing up shop. And, expresses his trust in HRC along with a note that they are sending any remaining funds to the Human Rights Campaign:
Together, we made history.
Nearly six years ago, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) was created with the specific mission of arguing for marriage equality before the U.S. Supreme Court and to, while doing so, dramatically advance the American conversation on equality.
And we accomplished that … and so much more.
We returned marriage equality to California—our nation's most populous state—and, later, to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
With David Boies and Ted Olson as lead counsel, we smashed the partisan barrier that traditionally divided supporters and opponents of marriage equality. Namely, we brought prominent conservative voices to the debate and proved that marriage is not a partisan issue, but an American issue.
We put equality on trial. For the first time ever, a federal court heard evidence as to why denying gay and lesbian Americans the right to marry is unconstitutional. And, more importantly, for the first time, we forced our opponents to make their best cases, under oath, as to why marriage bans based on fear and hatred should stand. And we shared that story with the world.
But, perhaps, most importantly, we drew a line in the sand. We demanded that every American—whether a regular citizen, an editorial board writer, a member of Congress, or a Supreme Court justice—not only listen to the stories of Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo—the brave plaintiffs fighting for justice—but that they also take a side.
The results were extraordinary. We saw Americans nationwide stand up to support equal marriage. We saw it in the opinion pages of our newspapers. We saw senators scrambling to change their public positions. And we saw it from millions of ordinary people who proudly posted the “equal sign” logo of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as their Facebook profile pictures, and turned the Internet red.
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 Council 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.
The Boy Scouts of America, the country’s oldest youth organization, in a landmark decision voted to overturn their ban on gay troop leaders. Being a Scout myself until I was in my early teens; I was excited about this news. The Boy Scouts offer a fantastic opportunity for boys and young adults learn valuable life skills. And where else would I have learned to tie a Clove, Sheet Bend and a Taut-Line knot. 
In a long-sought victory for the gay rights movement, the 
