Common meaning:

Keeping someone out of something.

Hidden meaning of the Equity religion: 

Using merit to ignore ideas that come from marginalized groups.

Discussion:

The Equityists believe that dominant groups use the excuse of merit to ignore ideas that come from marginalized groups. If more ideas are accepted that come from dominant groups compared to marginalized ones, that means the sin of exclusion is occurring.

The Equity believers conveniently ignore the many factors that can cause variations in how ideas are accepted. They also fail to accept the obvious fact that ideas need to be able to stand on their own. 

Equity does not believe in the value of ideas, only in the value of the group. When ideas put forward by people from marginalized groups are excluded by people of dominant groups who claim they don’t have merit, they are being oppressive. The only merit the ideas need is the merit of coming from a marginalized group because there is no universal truth.

Requiring ideas to be accepted because they have been put forward by particular groups is just wrong.