Equality?

I am a strong believer in all types of equality.  Despite this fact I often find myself wondering: when have we gone too far?  Sometimes seeking equality for a particular group looks to me like a persecution of another. As an example, I have a friend that is a devoted single parent.  He works as hard as he can while still caring for his child however, it is often not enough.  On several occasions he has sought help from local organizations but often to no avail sometimes he is given help after several accusatory looks.  He has told me that he has been denied openly for being a man and when he does receive help he still feels a shame.  He says it feels as though these organizations say to him "your supposed to be the provider, this service is for women who really need it".  How is this equality? I know that these organizations are doing good in the community and in no way do I hope to diminish this fact.  In fact, recently I have seen that some organizations also share my view. A story in the Denver Post by Monte Whaley published January 26, 2011 brought these sentiments to life for me. I hope that story can help to open everyone's eyes that all people can sometimes need help regardless of gender. The story can be retrieved at http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17198846.