In July 2010, as I read yet another comment of not so thinly veiled hate on a thread on Facebook, two things happened to me: (1) I vowed never to keep quiet in the presence of a hate comment (on Facebook, or anywhere else), and (2) this quote—baldly borrowed from Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, Jr.—formed in my head:

“We all bleed red when pricked. We all cry salty tears. We are all the same. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

And thus the Equality Mantra was born. It is a safe haven for people of all stripes and persuasions, a page that features hope, love, acceptance, positive images, and acceptance. The page now boasts over 12,000 members, from every state and the District of Columbia in the United States, and nineteen international countries, demonstrating the universal thirst for and belief in equality.

This is a page for you if:
• you’re for marriage equality, repealing Prop 8 in California, and repealing DOMA.
• you celebrate that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell has been relegated to the dustbin.
• you’re encouraged that six states and D.C. have passed marriage equality, and hope the other 44 will soon follow suit.
• you model love and compassion, and hope to make the world a little bit better by caring and sharing, rather than by denigrating and tearing down.
• you dream of the day when what we look like, how we worship, where we come from, and who we love are issues that no longer have a seat at the table.

The Equality Mantra recently held a contest for its members, to write a tagline that best embodies the mission and spirit of the page. The clear winner, by Ryan Eagle of Tennessee: “Love is a terrible thing to hate.”

If you agree, and would like in on all this happiness, please join us. the Equality Mantra will welcome you with a great deal of heart. See you there!