Criminalizing Homosexuality In The 20th Century

It was not until the twelfth century that homosexuality started to be condemned. This condemnation proved to live through then until now. Due to the fact that America incorporated these early views into its early laws, even the most bland of today's sex acts were seen as unlawful (“Homosexuality and Mental Health”). Since then, these laws have changed, however, there is still a primarily negative connotation on homosexuals when coming from a church or legal standpoint concerning the masses of America.

The LGBT community is another word for the gay community. The gay community is all about getting their civil rights on issues like Economic issues concerning employment. In the

A reoccurring theme that has been evident throughout many systems of oppression is the necessity to define the group being oppressed as criminals. In the book Queer (In)Justice it is impossible to mistake the purposeful intent of church authorities, prosecutors, and other influential citizens who had an agenda. They were threatened by the progress being made by the gay community. Sodomy laws were falling and they began to worry about queers recruiting their youth to a “perverted” lifestyle. Most often the only crime that these LGBT people committed was being homosexual. This discrimination would be a little too evident so a feeble attempt was made to cover up hatred by producing these undeserved characteristics that queer people supposedly

In the early 1980’s the nation feelings were very anti-gay. At the same time the HIV/AIDS virus which attacked the immune system and could prove fatal, started showing up in many homosexuals and was named the gay disease. The public was so afraid that many medical facilities refused to treat anyone suspected of the having the virus. President Reagan refused to mention or support research or education to find a cure until the late 1980’s. He went along with what many TV Evangelists preached that this was god’s way of punishing homosexuals. He ignored the problem until he was politically pressured to recognize that the AIDS virus could affect more than just Homosexuals. The result of his non-action was that in the 1980’s over 100,000 thousand

Discriminatory action against individuals who identified or were labeled as non-heterosexual began to be brought to light during the twentieth century and is still prevalent today. There are arguments by certain individuals that claim that discrimination of those who identify as non-heterosexual have disappeared. I would argue that such discrimination is still alive and present in our modern society. Very noticeable today with the values of our Vice-President Elect Mike Pence who thinks that homosexuality can be “fixed” through electric shock therapy. Values like this are similar to that held during the twentieth century - which Margot Canaday deeper examines in her book The Straight State: Homosexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth Century America. Canaday’s argument throughout her book is that of homosexuality considered undesirable. Canaday starts off her book by delving into the stripping of citizenship rights from individuals who were labeled as homosexual. A topic Ian Haney Lopez explores in his book White By Law: The Legal Construction of Race: How individuals pertaining to a particular group of racial or ethnic groups were deprived of their citizenship and personhood rights. In this essay, I will explore the concepts introduced by Lopez of law as ideology and law as behavioral control and how those concepts relate to Canaday’s book in the oppression of non-hetersoxual individuals within the realms of immigration, the military, and welfare (Canaday).

This essay will consider law reform in the context of homosexual relationships between men. In particular, it will look at the various influencing Acts, establish the different legal principles and scrutinise how the changing social attitudes have affected the development of this law. It will only focus on the broader context and will not include other influencing changes such as LGBT adoption laws, discrimination etc. In order to reach a conclusion of the effects of these …. secondary sources such as books and the Westlaw website.

In the early 1900’s people showed little to no sexual orientation. If one were to show their orientation, it would be in a heterosexual way. Homosexuals were not allowed, and extremely frowned upon by society. Most homosexuals covered up their sexual orientation. Today, our world is changed. We as a society, have become more accepting of different orientations such as gay or lesbian. To understand what a homosexual in the 1900’s might have been like I will be participating in an experiment. For the experiment date, I chose to select Thursday, October 27 to show no public display of affection in any way.

Is the day coming when business owners in America will have the ability to refuse to serve someone with whom they disagree? Imagine seeing a sign that says “We Don’t Serve Gays” in the window of a coffee shop. Most people would voice their outrage; they would demand an explanation of the owner, wondering what could have spurred the idea for such a discriminatory sign. Should the owner keep his or her sign up only because homosexuality is against their moral beliefs?

The first article I found was, An ageless quality, a basic need (1979). What I found interesting is that society before the 1980’s had a perception that expressing oneself sexually or being intimate was strictly for those under the age of fifty or even sixty (Moran, 1979). However, those that were older than sixty it is perhaps unnatural. Furthermore, when those were asked about sexuality before the 1980’s, they thought sexuality was solely about the act and not ones identity. Moran (1979) explains sexuality is the “sum,” of one’s identity (pg.14). Sexuality is an expression of themselves an others. Presently, there are more elderly individuals showing all forms of sexuality than ten or fifteen years ago.

Homosexuals were even the forgotten victims of the Nazi regime. We do not know exactly how many of them died in the concentration camps because of the destruction of some data in the archives and because many of them were captured and persecuted by the Nazi Germany’s secret police: the Gestapo. The decree “Nacht und Nebel” ("Night and Fog"), a directive that Hitler signed on December 7, allowed the elimination of these people “without leaving any trace.” The Nazi regime persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses between 1933 and 1945 since they refused to join the army and to swear loyalty to it. In the Nazi Germany lived almost 25,000 of them and it is estimated that about 10,000 were killed in the concentration camps. Since 1923, Jehovah’s Witnesses

One of the most hated, reviled, and public enraging individuals in society is a pedophile. Most equate pedophilia with a sexual molester of children or some sort of perverted freak. There is considerable misunderstanding about pedophilia. In a 1990 research study, the authors state “there is widespread belief among

While intentionally injuring one’s partner for the purposes of sexual gratification may be frowned upon or even repudiated by the majority, and may therefore merit moral sanction, this does not justify disproportionate legal sanction. As H.L.A Hart commented, ‘laws enforcing sexual morality create misery of quite a special degree… it is one thing to disapprove of and criticise… but another to impose legal liability’. This recognition that moral intolerance of certain conduct does not necessitate criminalisation of that conduct is reflected in the decision to decriminalise homosexuality. While many may disagree with homosexual activity, this is no longer a legitimate basis for sanctioning an autonomous decision regarding how to live one’s private life. It is therefore necessary to question why the moral views regarding injuries inflicted for sexual gratification continue to impact upon the criminalisation

When we remember the Holocaust, the first thing that comes to mind is the genocide of the millions of Jews in Europe. Yet, we often forget about the other minorities also persecuted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party during their reign of terror. These minorities such as gypsies, criminals, anti-socials, Jehovah’s witnesses and homosexuals, continued to live fearfully and cautiously, often shamed into silence, after the war as they were still viewed with negative stigmas. In this research paper, I will be shedding light on the persecution of one group of these forgotten victims – the homosexuals. I will discuss the extent to which Nazi policies and actions against homosexuals compare to those against Jews and will be focusing on

In 2010, this student watched a TV clip on a popular news show, Tosh.O, regarding the Anti-Homosexuality Act proposed in Uganda. At this time, the idea of implementing a law that banned homosexuality was ludicrous and the claims presented by Ugandans regarding the lethality of homosexuals seemed comical. After watching the documentary, Call Me Kuchu, this student realized the seriousness of this matter and finds news clips that made of fun of this law no longer funny.

Homosexuality is genetic! How can this statement be true? It is indeed true in the precise fact that Romans 3:23 points out, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Humanity has been cursed with being genetically embedded with sin and a sinful nature. The current worldview is that homosexuality and multiple sexual orientations come from nature, and not nurture. This viewpoint is correct in that it is human nature to sin and seek out one’s own selfish desire. However, No one is prescribing a remedy for this sin. “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:34) What the world has done is celebrated this sin and deceive youth through their much-wanted desire for acceptance and identity. There is a copious amount of research out there, along with world definitions of each orientation, and a call for acceptance of others’ orientations. There is also the other side of the argument and the fundamental truths that come from the word of God. Various resources are available to help youth leaders, teachers, parents and pastors to have a higher understanding of this cultural issue and the solutions and treatments available for youth struggling in this area. Spiritual leaders in the home, church, and schools ought to be prepared to teach on these topics readily, since this world, in which many youth are daily immersed, will readily present its own point of view with utter