Principles

We envision a future where every individual has a right to live their life with dignity, autonomy, and access to the resources they need to thrive.

We affirm that all women, LGBTQ and nonbinary people have a right to bodily autonomy, safety, health, opportunity and respect. We believe that gender is not binary and we honor the full expression of people’s unique and varied identities.

We are committed to ending white supremacy, a root cause of systemic oppression in this country that continues to inflict harm on people of color and blocks progress on every issue we seek to address. We understand that ending white supremacy will require fundamental changes in law and policy, as well as in leadership and organizational culture. We see these changes as fundamental to achieving our goals and promoting human dignity.

We know that people who experience gender oppression are also affected by racism, ableism, poverty and other forms of oppression. We partner with allies across social justice movements to ensure that our work reflects intersecting identities and experiences, and a deep understanding of gender, racial, reproductive and economic justice.

We strive to center and amplify the voices of those most marginalized by race, class, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, youth and other identities. We believe that they are the experts on their own lives, and that their lived experience, expressed priorities, and proposed solutions should inform and guide our work.

We see the law as a critical tool for advancing justice, but we recognize its limitations. First, the legal system itself too often operates as a source of oppression, privileging the powerful and maintaining rather than uprooting systemic racism and misogyny. Second, even where legal strategies are a force for progress, they only succeed when integrated with other strategies — community organizing, public education, cultural advocacy to name a few – that also require our commitment and support.

We value collaboration and seek to work in respectful partnership with others, especially organizations and groups directly affected by gender, race, and other structural inequities. We understand that good partnerships take time, effort, candor, and trust, and we seek to build these into our relationships with others.

We recognize that the challenges we face are urgent and overwhelming. Thus, we push ourselves to be bold. We fight fiercely for our clients and our allies, and we don’t hold back in our efforts to advance the goals and values expressed above.