Why was the struggle for civil rights more difficult because of the seperate but equal doctrine established in in the plessy v ferguson case?

The civil rights was something to make everyone the same.  all though that was the point of plessy vs Ferguson, they still separate not together. they were trying to have everyone use the same bathrooms and drink out of the same water fountains but again civil rights were trying to make everyone the same and that was difficult with plessy vs Ferguson set in place.