The gay rights movement has taken many shapes and forms in the past 60 years. Equal rights for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) such as marriage, military identity and bullying have become the most important issues of the movement. For years the LGBT community has been turned away from blood banks, asked to keep their sexual identity a secret, and been denied the right to get married. Inequality has made gay rights a heated debate in the United States.
The issue of same sex marriage was addressed several times in the 2008 election, and several suicides of gay teens have raised awareness of the growing epidemic. The LGBT community is the sexual minority in this country, and because of this they are persecuted.
In 1951 The Mattachine Society, the first national gay rights organization was formed by Harry Hay. Harry Hay is considered to be the founder of the gay rights movement. The beginning of the LBGT movement is very questionable, but the stonewall riots of 1959 seem to be a turning point. The Stonewall riots transformed the gay rights movement from a small number of activists into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance. During the riots, patrons of a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village fought back during a police raid on June 27, sparking three days of riots.
127 our experts are availableright now
According to author Minh T. Nguyen 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 base of sexual preference, thus, making this discrimination perfectly legal. Minh T. Nguyens statement is a simple summary of what rights the LGBT community want.
The problem with this statement is how to define what a constitutional right is. Some people view marriage as a privilege, not a human right. The legal aspect of discrimination has been a tough one for the LGBT community. Laws against discrimination seem to leave out sexual orientation. Lack of legal support has led to several cases that have gotten to the supreme court .In Romer v. Evans, the Supreme Court overturned Colorado’s Amendment 2, which denied gays and lesbians protections against discrimination.
The LGBT community has gained some ground for equal rights. Prior to 1971 Homosexuality was considered a mental disorder by The American Psychiatric Association. In 1971 The American Psychiatric association officially removed it. American culture has changed for the better. Openly gay actors and sitcoms such as Will and Grace ran on prime time television for a number of years, and the Logo network is dedicated to the progress of LGBT community.
While the federal government doesnt recognize same sex marriage because it is prohibited in the Defense of marriage act there still about 6 states recognize same sex marriage. The United States Dont ask, Dont tell policy; a policy forbidding homosexual activity in the military is up for repeal. Although the Dont ask dont tell policy hasnt been overturned, the fact that is now a water cooler conversation is very important. The 25 year ban on bi sexual and gay men donating blood is now up for discussion as well. It was once believed that homosexual men were more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, now that blood screening is more advanced hopefully this type of discrimination will be a thing of the past.
While there has been a lot of progress in the movement towards equality there are still many hurdles ahead. There are 44 states that do not recognize same sex marriage. Religion is a major issue, many feel like it is against their religion to support LGBT. Its one thing to change a law, its another to change your religious beliefs. In the land of the free and the home on the brave you would think that everyone would have equal rights, however we have to remember that our dollar bill says In God We Trust The separation of church and state /marriage and civil union will go on until we see this type of discrimination for what it really is.
