Cindy Chen
Mr. Barnett
11MS2 History
8 June 2016
LGBT Rights
Marriage between lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBT) is referred to as same-sex marriage. It occurs when men and women are attracted to someone of the same gender of themselves. However, some people denied the idea of it since they believe it is going against the law of nature and violating certain beliefs and traditions. LGBT people have faced injustice and discrimination and have been fighting for their rights for decades to overcome prejudice against them which they have finally received in 2015.
LGBT individuals has remained largely silent and unseen in American culture until
World War II ended. Many of them hid their “unusual” sexual orientation from the society out of shame and fear. Gays who lived in cities often formed close social networks with other gays while remaining a hidden subculture. During the 1940s and 1950s, LGBT Americans earned many freedoms they had not previously received. Their presence became more free-flowing but still not widely accepted. In the middle of 1950s, discrimination against LGBT individuals started to expand, they have been kicked out of their jobs because of their sexual orientation. Moreover, the homosexual lifestyle was considered as a threat to American security in the 1960s as gay and lesbian were being harassed or raided at that time. However, it was the turning point for the LGBT community in 1969 when the Stonewall riots broke out. The Stonewall
Another huge social and cultural change during this time was the gay liberation movement. During the 1960’s, many groups decided to fight for their rights and equality. One of these groups was the gay and lesbian members of society. Many of these individuals were discriminated against and had no rights, but they decided enough was enough. In the 1960’s, gays decided to begin the fight for their own rights. One example of this was made after New York officers decided to raid the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York’s very own Greenwich Village on June 27, 1969. This type of raid was not unusual, being that many police officers made it a habit of raiding gay and lesbian bars. This became known as the “Stonewall Riot”, which many view as the starting point of the gay liberation movement. The gay liberation movement was the fight by gays and lesbians for equal rights, one of these rights being the right to not be discriminated against, and most importantly, to be able to openly “come out” to their family and friends. The gay liberation movement helped to impact our current times greatly. Today, a gay person has rights just like anyone else. A gay
LGBT Americans have been prejudiced against long before the Stonewall Riots. Those who identified as a person in this community would be sent to mental institutions and affectionate acts between these individuals often led to
“The gay rights movement is not a party. It is not a lifestyle… It is not about sin or salvation. The gay rights movement is an integral part of the American promise of freedom” (Urvashi Vaid). Many people were not supportive of the minority of people coming out to the world and becoming a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The actions of the many who did not accept the idea of being gay, lesbian or transgender, would interfere with their confidence and freedom of being who they want to be. The idea of gay rights was not socially accepted since it had differed from the social norm of a male and female sexually attracted to one another. However, there would be a ‘safe haven’ in most cities for the LGBTQ+ community to thrive and reveal themselves towards the people that truly accepted them for who they are. Although there were very few ‘safe havens’ around, these places would be tormented by the police and many of the people in them would become oppressed since they wanted to be in a place of acceptance. From June 28, 1969 through July 1, 1969, the gay community faced massive oppression from police raids in Greenwich Village, NYC at Stonewall Inn, which caused them to start a riot which ignited a major conflict for the sake of their own safety and freedom. This riot allowed them to show their oppressors that they are human as well and are able to fight back for themselves and for the future generations ahead of them. Due to the lack of a formal compromise between the gay community and the police, many people questioned as well as oppressed them because of certain religious aspects and social norms, but the conflict resulted in the development of the Gay Liberation Front and allowing the LGBTQ+ community to freely express themselves.
In 1969, the blatant harassment of the LGBT led to an uprising called Stonewall. The Stonewall uprising was a series of violent demonstration by the gay community against a police raid that occurred earlier. Stonewall spurred the once hidden gay community to fight back against their oppressors. After the uprising, many lesbian and gay individuals joined together in protest, which spread all over the country. Subsequently--a year later--it lead to the first gay pride parade in US history.
Until the last half of the 20th century, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals were victims of discrimination in American society and in statutory laws, which limited their basic rights. On the night of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village, and arrested three drag queens by using excessive force. Bar patrons and spectators, tired of police oppression, stood up and fought back. This was the first major protest based on equal rights for homosexuals. The Stonewall Riots became a turning point for the homosexual community in the United States sparking the beginning of the gay rights movement, and encouraged lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual, or "LGBT," to fight for their rights.
For many years, homosexuals have been discriminated because of their sexual orientation. There are parents who teach their children to look down on homosexuality and that it is seen unnatural. But that was before, now the new generation is still growing so they make their own decisions. This generation is more open-minded and more accepting to new ideas. Homosexuals should be able to live with the same equal rights as everyone in America since this is the country considered the “Land of the Free” or the “Mixing Pot.” African-Americans fought for equal rights and Hispanics fought for equal rights; then why can’t homosexuals also fight? If America wants to live up to their reputation then homosexuals should have
How can we be so backward as the most technologically advanced generation in the history of the world? How is it that in a world full of social interaction on the internet, giving us countless relationships and connections on a day-to-day basis, can we be so blind to the needs of one specific group of people? I’m referring to the LGBT community. In this time of social integration and communal thought, there is still a hate driven, homophobic, and isolationist treatment of these people. What I intend to illustrate is why the LGBT community should be accepted.
The LGBT community has made new laws each day to bring equality to all. “Throughout its, America has symbolized equality of opportunity for people of all races, origins, religions and creeds, serving as a beacon of hope for anyone seeking a better life. However, despite its founding principles of equality and acceptance, the United States also has a long history of denying basic rights to certain people” (LGBT Equality). When the US discriminates against a certain thing people retaliate and rise up and try to make new laws to help their cause. The LGBT community has been striving to bring equality in many ways. The LGBT community has made great strides in gaining equality of same-sex marriage, gay adoption, and transgender equality.
Is the right to refuse service to LGBT individuals an actual case of violating a person 's religious rights or is it really a case of blatant discrimination? This may seem like a complicated question that has many unable to answer but in reality, it is actually quite simple. The refusal of service to LGBT individuals is not nor has it ever been a case of religious rights but a simple one of homophobic discrimination.
Same sex relationships relate to when a man or woman are attracted to someone of the same gender of themselves. It is being rejected as same gender marriage denies the obvious purpose between a man and a women which is procreation (Richardson-Self, 2012). Denying same sex couples the legal right to get married, could mean that they are being denied their basic human rights to enjoy human benefits (Richardson-Self, 2012). However, the opposing view is that if gay marriage was granted the legal rights of marriage, it will threaten the stability of the traditional meaning of family. A lot of society view gay and lesbians as being immoral due to traditional beliefs that marriage in society should only be between a man and a woman. Therefore, gay movement towards marriage equality aims at ensuring all humans receive full human rights (Edwards, 2007). Majority of religions are against same-sex marriage as they believe it is immoral behaviour, and if it was to be legalised the church would take offence as it marriage is supposed to be holy and ordained by God (Edwards, 2007).
The business world is an ever changing environment; there are new laws, regulations, and tax codes passed all the time that effect how we do business here in America and abroad. It is important that we keep abreast on those changing laws to protect our companies as well as the employees that work for us. The last few years have opened up many hot topics of debate when it comes to rights being extended to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. There is no shortage of passion, no matter what side you stand on, when it comes to same-sex marriage, transgender bathroom rights, legalized adoption for same-sex couples, and non-discrimination laws being extended to cover LGBT individuals. While all of these seem like topics that should not affect the workplace drastically, that could not be further from the truth. “A new decision by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Baldwin v. Foxx, extends Title VII’s protections to cover sexual orientation for federal sector employees and may lead the way for courts to recognize similar protections in the private sector. The EEOC also now maintains that gender identity is protected by Title VII,2 and some courts have agreed” (Muñoz and Kalteux, 2016, p. 43). The job of a Human Resource Manager is to keep up on the changing laws, and to make sure that the company they work for is compliant in upholding them.
Same sex marriage, marriage amongst two people from the same biological sex or gender identity. Same sex marriages can be performed in a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting are endorsed and practiced by various religious groups around the world.
it hard to express themselves freely and enjoy equal rights just like a regular citizen should
A marriage amongst two individuals of the same sex individuality and/or same genetic sex is known as gay marriage or same-sex marriage. The supporters particularly refer the possibility to perform a marriage of the same sex or lawful appreciation of marriages of the same sex as equal marriage or marriage equality. The same-sex marriage has been the main focus of the debate over the definition of marriage since the era of early 90s. With regards to homosexuality changes, the issue of homosexuality has emerged as the social and legal environment in the case of interracial marriage.
Same sex marriage is a global issue and it has been witnessed in many countries which have responded differently about the issue. Same sex marriage is also referred to as gay marriage and it involves people of the same gender or sex getting married. The marriage can occur either in a religious setting or even a secular ceremony. Marriage equality is another term that is used hand in hand with same-sex marriage and it means that opposite sex and same-sex marriage can be regarded as equal and they are legal. The whole issue can be said to consist of lesbianism, gays, bisexuality, intersex and transgender.