The basis for the Quaker testimony to equality is the belief that there is that of God in each one of us. For if there is that of God within each one of us, then it follows that we all deserve to be treated equally and fairly, with the same dignity and respect, no matter who we are. No one is “above” anyone else in the eyes of God. Men and not superior to women, Caucasian people are not superior to people of African descent, people who fall in love with those of the opposite sex are not superior to people who fall in love with those of the same sex.
Being a “radical Quaker” is about recognising that our purpose here on this earth is to work ceaselessly for a world in which our testimonies can be realised for all people everywhere. And that means being “radical” in the political sense – working to establish equality and justice not just at the superficial level where we see the immediate effects of inequality and injustice on the lives of those who suffer most directly from these things, but going in deep to address the root causes of all that hurt and suffering.
The root causes of most hurt and suffering in the world today lie in the systems and structures of class, racism and patriarchy that have been built up over the centuries to assert the power and domination of certain groups of people over others, and the physical and psychological violence that is used against anyone who challenges those systems and structures. These systems and structures are the very opposite of the radical equality as proclaimed by Quakers, and therefore radical Quakers oppose them.