Essay on Effects of Gay Rights in America

The ruling in Lawrence v. Texas reflects that, and it is justified by the unconstitutionality of the sodomy statute in question, the fact that Lawrence and Garner’s arrest was unconstitutional, the precedent set by Romer, and the outdated nature of the previous ruling on sodomy statutes in Bowers. Additionally, the mental well-being of the LGBTQ+ community will be improved by this ruling, further justifying it and its necessity. People should not be discriminated against simply because they have sex with people whose gender matches their own, and the Lawrence ruling, in reducing the amount of discrimination that is possible, allows an equal future to be a possible

Hate crime is a motivated violent act by a group or individual perpetrator towards a specific race, colour or religion (Collins, Pg 93,192). For many years, authority figures and the media have ignored hate crime offences towards individuals who identify under the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) umbrella. Up until the 20th century and prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, LGBTQ persons have been victimized in violent crimes based solely on gender identification and orientation. With a myriad of events, cases and unreported individual incidents the burden of proof towards hate crime on LQBTQ increased. The development of North American law towards LGBTQ citizens has improved throughout the last two decades. However, there

The history of the gay rights movement goes as far back as the late 19th century. More accurately, the quest by gays to search out others like themselves and foster a feeling of identity has been around since then. It is an innovative movement that seeks to change existing norms and gain acceptance within our culture. By 1915, one gay person said that the gay world was a "community, distinctly organized" (Milestones 1991), but kept mostly out of view because of social hostility. According to the Milestones article, after World War II, around 1940, many cities saw their first gay bars open as many homosexuals began to start a networking system. However, their newfound visibility only backfired on them, as

To facilitate exploring a specific anti-gay defense, I locate this statute within its homophobic political

Being gay in America is difficult. Being gay in America is even more difficult when you’re not quite gay. Being a closeted not-quite gay woman in America, surrounded by Indian immigrants is pretty difficult, too. It’s a bit like staring in a James Bond film, if all of the characters suddenly developed Bollywood accents, and marginally less homicide. Also, I may be exaggerating, because I don’t attract nearly as many Bond Girls, no matter how much I’d like to. Even understanding what “not-quite gay” means for me was and is a struggle. I suppose a common saying is true: if you can’t find the gay cousin in your family, then you are the gay cousin. And it’s true; in my jumbled mess of aunts, uncles, and third-step cousins once removed, there hasn’t been a single person to come out. Or, if there has, we certainly never talk about them.

The history of LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States is long and complicated. The identities within the LGBTQIA+ community that are accepted have shifted over the years as the majority of the population comes to understand some identities to be commonplace and struggles to understand others. However, the gaining of rights and acceptance by the LGBTQIA+ community has nearly always been tied to legal recognition. Lawrence v. Texas questions whether or not a Texas statute that bans homosexual sodomy is constitutional. Although LGBTQIA+ rights issues are controversial, the statute that convicted John Lawrence and Tyson Garner for having private, consensual gay sex as well as the means of conviction are clearly unconstitutional on several grounds,

The case chosen for this research paper is the case of Lawrence V. Texas. In Houston, Texas police officers were dispatched to a private home, responding to a report of weapon disturbance. Inside the home they found John Lawrence and Tyron Garner engaging in a private, consensual sexual act. The two men were arrested and held overnight and charged with violating Texas law, specifically Texas law made the act of two people of the same sex engaging in certain intimate sexual conduct illegal. The two men were then convicted before a Justice of Peace. Lawrence V. Texas asks the question of whether the criminal convictions of Lawrence and Garner under the “Homosexual Conduct” law of Texas was in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. It was argued

Supreme Court stated that the “Homosexual Conduct” law of Texas was unconstitutional and the law violated the 14th Amendment Due process Clause. This Clause protects  the right to personal freedom in intimate decisions. The issue wasn’t "the right to engage in homosexual sodomy" but  "the right to privacy in the home" and another is "the right to freely engage in consensual, adult sex."

Analysis: Michael Hardwick was observed by a Georgia police officer while engaging in the act of consensual homosexual sodomy with another adult in the bedroom of his home. After being charged with violating a Georgia statute that criminalized sodomy, Hardwick challenged the statute's constitutionality in Federal District Court. Following a ruling that Hardwick failed to state a claim, the court dismissed. On appeal, the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded, holding that Georgia's statute was unconstitutional. The court stated that fundamental rights are rights which are “deeply rooted in this nation’s history and tradition” or the rights which are essential to the existence of liberty. But homosexual sodomy, the court ruled, met none of

Another legislator added a clause to Glick’s proposal that would classify attacks against law enforcement as a hate crime as added incentive to garner support for passage. However, the bill failed to pass and when re-introduced again this year due was killed due to pressure from Focus on the Family, Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council. All three are powerful, well-funded organizations that oppose any rights or protections for sexual orientation or gender identity for “religious” reasons. It is troubling that the Congress within Indiana didn’t even vote after the policy passed through the Senate. The organizations lobbying against Glick’s hate crime bill believe that these laws infringe on Christians, promote the “homosexual agenda”, and that the laws could eventually be used to prosecute people who oppose homosexual or transgender activism.

Until 2009, federal crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity were not considered hate crimes and resulted in lighter punishments than crimes based on race or religion. The United States department of Justice amended the

In as much freedom for expression and belief I essential for every citizen within a state, it is critical to ensure that the general conduct of the citizens is right and also very ethical. Homosexual behavior is not proper, and it affects the morals and conducts of a nation. It destroys the rapport of the society. This is a destruction of the law of nature that is even against the religious beliefs and the general culture of any nation (Hermann, 2016). It is essential to give the citizens the right that they deserve. However, it is important to ensure that freedom never exploited to the extent that it corrupts morals and good conduct. I support the Texas ruling that demands it unlawful for two people of the same sex to engage in the intimate sexual conduct. It is right to say that individuals make offense when engaging in sexual intercourse with an individual of the same sex. The prohibition of gay and lesbianism is not a denial of liberty for the citizens (Goldberg

Throughout history in the United States, we have had a hard time accepting the concept of homosexuality and skewing from the idea that we are all gender binary. The police began to enforce what is known as the sodomy law to discriminate against those who do not comply with the norm of gender binary. The sodomy law can be defined as oral/anal sex between two partners (could be two women, two men, or a man and a woman). It has been present within our society for two centuries and has historically been a crime that went unenforced, for the most part, if committed by two consenting adults in private. Two specific cases became well-known for attempting to fight the law to gain rights for same sex couples who have been discriminated against due to

State 'Religious Liberty' laws pushed by long-time anti-LGBT groups. (2016, March). Liberty Press, 22(7), 13. Retrieved from

In this country there is a flawed assumption that gay people enjoy the same civil right protections as everyone else and there are a lot of stereotypes about gay relationships. Living as a gay individual in this country can be extremely overwhelming and scary. When it comes to marriage between gay couples, controversy is bound to turn up. There are numerous arguments as to why gay marriage is not “right” such as; it offends everything religion stands for, marriage is for procreation, and gay