Most people believe that they deserve the rights they are granted by the government. An upstanding citizen who pays their taxes, serves their community and abides by the law should be afforded the rights of an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples. One common problem that plagues gay and lesbian couples that are denied the right to marry is their inability to claim their partner’s social security after he or she has died. The Human Rights Campaign, which work to achieve equal rights for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people, is supporting the effort to attain survivor benefits for domesticate partners. They believe, “Any alteration to the Social Security system must include partners of gays and lesbians in its definition of survivor”(Survivor Benefits 1). Currently, there are no programs that give homosexuals survivor benefits like the ones that are provided for heterosexuals who are married or divorced. Gay and lesbian partners are not able to claim benefits of their deceased,
The United States of America was founded as a secular sanctuary for ideals like freedom, equality, and tolerance – few will argue against that. Over its history American culture has radically evolved as it strived to meet the ideals its nation was based upon, making changes like ending slavery and providing legal equality for women and minorities, changes that at the time seemed absurd but today are unquestionable merits that define what an “American” is. The quest to reach the ultimate utopian society continues today as true Americans fight the evils of ignorance, stubborn bigotry and the fear to change that still manifest themselves in a large portion of U.S. citizens, preventing this nation from moving forward. One of the outstanding minorities still left to be granted the ideals of freedom, equality, and tolerance are homosexuals trying to obtain the right to marry the person they want to spend the rest of their life with, regardless of gender. Same-sex marriages should be recognized in the eyes of the U.S. government in accordance with its responsibility to provide all American citizens equal freedoms.
The massive amount of people who believe and support LGBT should have the same human rights and equality say, “it's only fair they receive the same liberty to love who they love.” (Texas, Democratic Party, 1) Throughout the years, same sex marriage supporters have been increasing; “81% of adults under 30 now support marriage equality.”(Texas Democratic Party, 1). People have been making an effort to fight this case even since the beginning of the gay rights movement in the 1960s-1970s. Even before that though, homosexuals have tried to be seen equal, and of course, have an aspiration to be able to obtain the same rights as everyone else, which is to win over the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed in 1996 by Presidential Clinton to be able to marry the person they love regardless of what their gender
Gays should be allowed to have the same rights as everyone else. They used to not be allowed to adopt children in some states. They get abused verbally, mentally, and physically by their family and friends. There are some people who disagree with the thought of gays getting married. They can’t get jobs because of their sexual orientation. Some people accept the fact that they want to love who they want to love. What’s important is that gays are mistreated wherever they go.
All families face challenges in their everyday life. For some, the challenges are easier to handle while for others, surmounting those challenges can be more difficult. Over the years, the LGBT community in the US has faced many hurdles. Whether it’s the legalization of same-sex marriage to adoption rights to alimony, child support and child custody in case of divorce, legislation specific to gay and lesbian couples still has a long way to go.
One regular issue that faces gay and lesbian couples that are denied the right to have a legal marriage is their powerlessness to claim their accomplice 's government managed savings (social security) after he or she has passed on. A number of human right groups are working to accomplish equivalent rights for lesbian, transgender individuals, bi-sexual and gay. They accept, "Any form of change to the Social Security framework must incorporate the issue of partners of gays and lesbians in its meaning of survivor Benefits". At present, there are no projects that give gay people survivor benefits like the ones that are
“Discrimination and inequality faced by gays and lesbians in the United States are widespread, and the social movement to end such with the principles of equality and fairness.”( Blackwell, C. W., Ricks, J. L., & Dziegielewski, S. F. (2004). I do feel that we as society has come a long way since the Stonewall Riots of 1969 when it comes to obtaining equal rights for the GLBTQ community. However, there are still segments of today's population that hold personal prejudices against gays and lesbians. With these prejudices, it’s important to understand that there is a direct correlation between discriminatory practices within the state and federal systems and public policy drafting. As I have mentioned, we have come a long way in regards to changing policy and practices with our Country. However, there is still much work to be done regarding issues that affect the gay and lesbian population when it comes addressing lifestyles and equal rights. Here are just some examples of rights that many take for granted. However they are not always afforded to the gay and lesbian population and their
In addition to the hostility and embarrassment that homosexuals face every day, they also encounter political and legal policies and practices that prevent them from living a normal life like heterosexual people. For example, there are laws that prevent people of the same gender to be legally married to each other such as proposition eight in California. Gay people just want the right to be able to be happy with a significant other, make a family, and show their loyalty in each other through marriage. There is no difference whether that significant other is of the same gender or opposite, at the end of the day they just want that chance of happiness just like everyone else. Unfortunately, there are laws in places that prevent that from becoming true. Not allowing homosexuals to marry can affect many people’s lives and can even be detrimental to one’s health. For example in the article “The Case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson: Ableism,
The argument is much deeper then weather or not they should be married because they share a home together. If couples are paying taxes to build roads and help public schools, they should be afforded the same rights the heterosexual couples have. This was the argument used in the Baker v. Vermont. In the Baker v. Vermont court case, “gay and lesbian couples had argued that they were denied the protection of more than 300 laws as a result of not being allowed to marry.” Homosexuals are finally suing the state because they are not receiving protection under the laws of state strictly because they are gay. The Vermont House of Representatives voted in favor of a same-sex civil union bill after the case resolved. This shows that looking at the matter as a legal issue, it is evident that gay couples are not regarded equally in the eyes of the law, and that the first steps to fix this social injustice are just now being taken, however, the vote is very close. Same-sex civil unions are a basis for nation-wide legal recognition of same-sex relationships. These same-sex civil marriages are demonstrating that the principals of “marriage” and the rights an American deserves, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation, can be respected.
Over the past five years same-sex marriage has become one of the most controversial issues in the United States, many social activist strive to aid homosexuals and their fight to legalize same-sex marriage. Marriage is a fundamental right not a privilege. Gay men and women should not be discriminated against based on their sexuality. Marriage is a sacred bond between two people that love each other no matter the sex, race, or religion. Everyday homosexuals are treated unfairly; most were born gay and cannot help their feelings. Being gay in America today is very difficult, you have to hide who you are just to be accepted. All homosexual’s really want is to be treat fairly and to get all the right they deserve, like
Of the many societal customs engrained in humanity, marriage may be one of the most prevalent. For most of history, man and woman have displayed their capacity for affection through this formality; and, for most of history, marriage has been limited to only man and woman. Like marriage, however, homosexuality too has existed for thousands of years. One could even argue that it is simply a part of human nature. Nonetheless, those who identify as anything but heterosexual have been persecuted for hundreds of years. In the United States of America, gay marriage has been legal since 2015 -- and although legal, the opposition persists to this day through politicians and religious groups. For example, while the Constitution of the United States
Gay and lesbian rights should be handled just as earnestly and seriously as women and blacks’ rights since these three subcategories can fit into a slightly broader one of all civil rights. Similarly to race or gender, everyone is unique in their own way, but regardless, they are still considered human. Already, “the Whitehouse website lists same-sex marriage amongst a selection of civil rights, along with freedom from employment discrimination, equal pay for women, and fair sentencing for minority criminals.” If these considerations would be taken more seriously by the American society as a whole, a better world would be developed for each member of the country. In order to reach that point, there needs to be a more solid raising of awareness to achieve complete protection of all human
In the United States, there is social unrest regarding the government's denial of the right to marry for homosexuals. Plenty of conservatives are completely against gay marriage; and many of liberals are fighting for equal treatment. The neo-Christian politicians are using religious arguments to establish that homosexuality is an abomination. While this may be their belief system, this country was founded on religious freedom, where the people are allowed to worship how they see fit. A ground rule, set up from the beginning, states that separation needs to be made between religion and government, so the two shall never meld to become a theocracy. With the issue of gay marriage, lines get blurred and religion
Gay marriage has come to be a pressing topic in the contemporary society as more and more individuals get actively involved in discussing it. Individuals who oppose same-sex marriage are typically inclined to bring on a deontological argument or to say that legalizing the act might bring on other issues. In contrast, people who support gay marriages focus on matters related to human rights and justice. The arguments generated by each of the sides are certainly thought-provoking and it is very difficult for someone to get involved in the debate and actually pick a side concerning the matter.
LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people are discriminated against, terrorized, and protested against. They have barely any laws guarding their rights. All Americans are supposed to have all the rights needed for their pursuit of happiness, yet LGBTQ+ citizens do not. This needs to stop. And the U.S., while still quite far away, is slowly on its way to equity for all of its citizens. But good LGBT Americans are mostly treated unfairly.
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