The Fight for Gay Rights Essay - 1226 Words

The fight to legalize gay marriage has won many battles in recent years. It has become available in Canada, England, New Zealand, and here in the United States it is now legal in 13 states (religioustolerence.org). Gay couples have become more prominently accepted in modern society, appearing in popular TV shows such as â€Å"Modern Family† and â€Å"The New Normal†. Gay marriage is even the inspiration for popular songs such as â€Å"Same Love† by Macklemore Ryan Lewis. Even with same sex couples being more commonly accepted, there are still conservative and religious leaders that remain opposed. It is this opposition that has prevented gay marriage from becoming legal in most of the country. Gays and lesbians are Americans just like everyone else,†¦show more content†¦Not until women were granted the right to choose who and when they got married, did Americans take their first steps to marriage equality. Another instance where strides were made toward s marriage equality is when interracial couples were given the right to marry. Even after slavery was abolished, it took many years before interracial couples were granted the right to marry. The act of interracial couples becoming married was looked at as wrong and unnatural, much the same as same sex marriage is looked at today. Once interracial couples were allowed to marry, Americans took yet another positive step towards marriage equality. That brings today’s dilemma to the forefront, should same sex couples also be granted the right to marry? Answering that question might be a bit more difficult. It may depend on how one defines marriage. Is it a bond between two people, a civil contract or a community recognized relationship? Many believe that marriage is a personal bond of love between two people, and it is this fact alone that defines marriage. Some people though, do not actually marry for love, do they? With instances of â€Å"gold-diggers† and â€Å"trophy wives† abounding in our society, can it still be said that love defines marriage? To look at marriage as the community recognized relationship, many would argue that same sex couples are already married, since their LGBT community already recognizes this fact. It is when marriage is considered a civil ceremony that seems to lead to theShow MoreRelatedThe Fight For Gay Rights2621 Words   |  11 PagesThe Stonewall was a private club located on Christopher Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Bars that served gay patrons were unable to acquire legal liquor licenses, and bars that catered to a gay clientele were forced to operate in violation of the New York State Liquor Authorities’ laws. As the result, and despite rumored pay offs, police raids were a regular occurrence for gay bars. At approximately 1:20 a.m., plain-clothed officers entered The Stonewall for what would normally have beenRead MoreThe Fight for Gay Rights Essay1515 Words   |  7 PagesThe Fight for Gay Rights Restrictions have been put in place on homosexuals’ basic human rights because of individuals’ opinions and lack of tolerance. America is a country where all people should have the same rights, regardless of sexual preference. Gay marriage is illegal in more than thirty states even yet today (ProQuest). Homosexual people have been struggling with their rights for over a hundred years now, but the issue still hasn’t been resolved. Gay marriage and rights didn’t become aRead MoreThe Fight For Gay Rights Movement1155 Words   |  5 PagesToday, the fight for homosexual right is at the forefront of society, which yields a greater thrust towards full equality to heterosexuals with every passing day. This campaign for equality is known as the Modern Gay Rights Movement. 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However, the conversation about thatRead MoreThe Gay Liberation Movement Of Manhattan, New York City1536 Words   |  7 Pages On June 28, 1969, the Gay Liberation Movement was sparked due to the Stonewall Riot in Manhattan, New York City, (History.com Staff). The Stonewall was a gay club located in New York City. It was often regulated and harassed by police officers but one day the LGBT decided to stand up for themselves and fight back. Although the police were legally justified in raiding the club, which was serving liquor without a license among other violations, New York’s gay community had grown weary of the policeRead MoreGay Rights And The Lgbt Community1542 Words   |  7 Pagesmass shooting in U.S. history occurred not to far from UCF. Patrons of Pulse nightclub, a gay nightclub in Orlando where massacred by Omar Mateen, Mateen took the lives of forty-nine individuals all because of their presence in a gay establishment. This tragic incident wasn’t the first attack on the LGBT community, but it’s massive fatalities put Congress under even more pressure to reform gun laws, gay rights, and suspected terrorist legislation. As a political Science major, I take a special interestRead MoreThe Stonewall Riots Intro On June 28, 1969, an event occurred that was to be the start of one of1000 Words   |  4 Pagesdisputes that resulted from the initial raid would come to be known as the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Riots marked the start of the gay rights movement, and inspired members of the gay community to fight for their rights instead of being condemned for their sexuality. Even today, gay people in the US use the incident at Stonewall to educate younger members of the gay community. The younger generation should know about Stonewall so that they will realize it is possible to make change. It is possibleRead MoreLet Us Legalize Gay Marriage Essay881 Words   |  4 Pagesmeans that every legal citizen is given freedom of speech, and the right of privacy. Among these rights, we are given freedom of religion. If someone is Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or even Buddhist, that someone is welcome to practice their own religion however they see fit, and you are welcome in America because this is the land of the free. Or is it? When the topic of Gay Marriage arises in conversation, the main Anti-Gay point would be that the Bible does not agree with it. [Jones, Michael]Read M oreStonewall Riots Essay1549 Words   |  7 Pagesopposition and resiliency. As time has progressed, so has the community and their fight for equality. The community is a medley of very different people from a wide array of backgrounds; No one person is the same. They do, however, have one common denominator. The communities fight for equality has been shaped by several altercations throughout history that inevitably lead to the success, progress and current fight for equality that is known today. The cornerstone event that significantly shapedRead MoreThe Stonewall Act Of Stonewall1193 Words   |  5 PagesStonewall is known as the riot that kickstarted the movement for gay rights in America in 1969. Throughout the 1960’s the gay community was targeted for their homosexual activities because this went against the common beliefs of the people. Most of the population had the Christian belief that being interested in the same sex was against God’s will. This caused dis crimination throughout the nation between members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender plus (LGBT+) community and the rest of