“I think people feel threatened by homosexuality. The problem isn't about gay people, the problem is about the attitude towards gay people. People think that all gays are Hannibal Lectors. But gay people are sons and daughters, politicians and doctors, American heroes and daughters of American heroes” (Stacy).
Gay rights are an issue that has caused controversy over the United States for many years, varying from marriage, taxes, or just being treated as an equal. Although many people have begun to accept the change to society, there are many understandable reasons to disagree with this controversial issue. The main goal with treating everyone as an equal is to get rid of all the hate crimes toward homosexual couples and individuals. Many people look at hate crimes towards a certain race as a crime and unacceptable, but they do not view it the same way when
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Every person that is born into the United States of America is born with the same natural rights and freedoms as any other person. A person’s sexual orientation should not determine the different types of rights that they receive; they should all be the same. Although this is a very controversial topic everyone’s views should be respected and accepted by the American population. Many people will agree that hate crimes are unacceptable, whether it is against a race or if the hate crime is based off of a person’s sexual orientation, it is still illegal and should not occur in today’s society. Learning to accept gay rights is important to many people because it teaches everyone important morals and values such as accepting a person no matter what their beliefs are, treating everyone as an equal, and being capable of tolerating a person’s style of living even if you do not completely agree with
One of the largest dividers in the U.S. is the issue of marriage equality. Marriage equality is the quest for equal civil and social rights for homosexuals. Currently, many Americans are unwilling to accept homosexuals and provide them with equal civil and social rights. Marriage equality is a problem because homosexuals feel oppressed by society. Similar to racial problems, people are scared of things that are different from societal norms and that they do not understand. In turn, they suppress and criticize homosexuals for their non-standard behavior. Marriage equality has become a topic of controversy in the United States. Legislation accepting homosexuals could improve society’s opinion on marriage equality. When people have a better understanding of something, they tend to form a more educated opinion on the
In a perfect world every single citizen within the borders of the United States would have the freedom to be with whomever they wish. No one would have to worry about being judged or mocked for their preferences. In the words of the late Harvey Milk, “It takes no compromise to give people their rights, it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.” This, however, is not a perfect world. People make mistakes, people commit crimes and people hate one another for their individual choices. You could be judged, categorized and demoralized by who you choose to fall in love with in this society. Gay and lesbian citizens are consistently denied rights that are
Many people from the United States hold the belief that being gay is something that has always been considered to be okay. They believe that it is just a given. Despite people’s current beliefs on the subject, for a very long time, it was something that was widely believed to be taboo. In the past, people were imprisoned due to their sexuality. Regardless, throughout the decades, people have pushed for the widespread acceptance of people who are part of the LGBT community. Today, homophobia still exists in some parts of the United States, but we have come a long way since the early 1900s.
The massive amount of people who believe and support LGBT should have the same human rights and equality say, “it's only fair they receive the same liberty to love who they love.” (Texas, Democratic Party, 1) Throughout the years, same sex marriage supporters have been increasing; “81% of adults under 30 now support marriage equality.”(Texas Democratic Party, 1). People have been making an effort to fight this case even since the beginning of the gay rights movement in the 1960s-1970s. Even before that though, homosexuals have tried to be seen equal, and of course, have an aspiration to be able to obtain the same rights as everyone else, which is to win over the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed in 1996 by Presidential Clinton to be able to marry the person they love regardless of what their gender
Whether we like it or not, discrimination is a problem that has been occurring for thousands of years and is one that will continue to occur for years to come. American history has seen its share of discrimination, perhaps none more evident than the mid-19th century. Political tensions between northern and southern states concerning states’ rights and slavery sent the country into turmoil. The bloodiest battle in American history soon began and the country would never be the same again. However, after the conclusion of the war at Appomattox Court House, the definition of American citizenship and personal liberties would be changed forever. Unfortunately, discrimination has continued to take place within the nation’s borders against other groups of people. Recently, discrimination against homosexual individuals has been quite an intense topic of debate. Although I do understand the logic behind people’s beliefs, it is astonishing to me that there are people in this world that aggressively disallow others to be who they are and live the life that they so choose to live. Persecution of others for religious or political beliefs, although understandable, is a devastating problem to the entire world. In my eyes, how can America be the land of the free and the home of the brave when citizens are unable to be free in their choices and are forced to be brave to act against these unethical doings? We have seen reforms take place to minimize discrimination throughout
According to the Williams Institute, in the United States homosexuals are a minority, making up only three and a half percent (3.5%) of the adult population. Although it sounds like few people, that is over eight million adults who are being denied their basic rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is unjust for American citizens who pay taxes, work, and live like other Americans to not have the same rights because they love someone who is the same gender as they are. A fraction of the United States does allow same-sex marriages, but it is not allowed in all states, and it is unconstitutional to deny homosexuals their basic human rights in any area of the United States. Although America is slowly progressing towards equality, the United States is falling far behind the rest of the world,
The movement of the gay and lesbian population in the United States is one that has been in progress since the early 1900s, and is still facing overwhelming controversy and backlash today. The push for gay liberation in a country founded on Christian morals and beliefs has subsequently led to struggles over equality of marriage, adoption, jobs, and healthcare. One side of the controversy argues that every individual deserves the same rights, while the opposing mindset argues that being homosexual puts you into a group of people that is different, and will therefore be treated as such.
The debate of whether to pass the bills and policies that promote equal treatment of lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, and the queer (LGBTQ) community has been trending across nations. People refer to fundamental human rights like the freedom of speech and association, liberty, and equal treatment in court as civil rights, because they are fundamental rights that each and every citizen should not be denied on the basis of their sex, race, or religious belief. Though it has been proven that homosexuality – the sexual desire for those of the same sex as oneself – has existed since humans have begun documenting human history, the framers of the Constitution did not include the unconstitutionality of discrimination against citizens on the basis of sexual preference, thus, making this discrimination entirely legal. It is, therefore, important to consider the varying views on this issue with an aim of constructing a genuine proposition to the policy makers.
In addition to the hostility and embarrassment that homosexuals face every day, they also encounter political and legal policies and practices that prevent them from living a normal life like heterosexual people. For example, there are laws that prevent people of the same gender to be legally married to each other such as proposition eight in California. Gay people just want the right to be able to be happy with a significant other, make a family, and show their loyalty in each other through marriage. There is no difference whether that significant other is of the same gender or opposite, at the end of the day they just want that chance of happiness just like everyone else. Unfortunately, there are laws in places that prevent that from becoming true. Not allowing homosexuals to marry can affect many people’s lives and can even be detrimental to one’s health. For example in the article “The Case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson: Ableism,
Throughout America’s history, many minority groups have been discriminated against, especially women., African Americans, and immigrants. Women started out having little to no power whatsoever in the home, and throughout the town. Therefore, in comparison to the rights of gay citizens, in the Equal Rights Amendment, it states in section one that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex” (The Equal Rights Amendment, ND, p. 1). Even though this amendment was originally introduced in 1923 by suffrage leader Alice Paul “as the next step in bringing "equal justice under law" to all citizens,” (The Equal Rights Amendment, ND, p. 1) it comes into relation with the battle that gay citizens are fighting. Their fight for equality is the same as women’s fight was to gain their rights. In
Most people believe that they deserve the rights they are granted by the government. An upstanding citizen who pays their taxes, serves their community and abides by the law should be afforded the rights of an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples.
People around the world face violence and inequality—and sometimes torture, even execution—because of who they love, how they look, or who they are (LGBT Rights). All people should be equal. It should not matter if a person is gay, straight, bisexual, or transgender. We should all have the right to get married and be treated equally. We should all be able to go into any business. Same-sex couples could help with adoptions and fostering children. No one should have to face violence because of their sexuality. Sexuality should not matter under any circumstance.
Looking back throughout history at the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, it isn’t hard to see that we have made the majority of our strides in the past 10 years. As a society we have decided the time is now to put an end to the lack of rights for people of different sexual orientations. Accepting LGBT individuals and providing them the same rights and protections as all other Americans makes us a more united, respectable Country. Everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities regardless of what their sexual orientation may be.
Throughout history, there have been many cases of injustice and discrimination both around the world and in the United States specifically. There has been oppression of and discrimination against differing ethnic groups, women, and now, individuals with a different sexual orientation than what can be seen as normal. While the rights of these groups have improved significantly, discrimination still occurs. However, discrimination against them is still less rampant than the discrimination against people who identify as homosexuals and other similar sexual orientations. Since we, as a society, have made extensive leaps and bounds regarding similar social issues, we can and must make similar strides regarding societal views of sexual orientation.
First, people say that same sex marriage is not a real marriage that it lacks procreation. From my point of view, procreation is not a categorical imperative of marriage.