Gay Civil Rights

Many homosexuals that served in the Military prior to 2015 had to hide who they were and their loved ones throughout their career. They were forbidden to get married and receive the same benefits as their heterosexual

The issue of gays in the military has been controversial in the United States for many decades. Over these decades there have been many different proposals as to what approach to take in order to handle the situation of homosexuals in the military. However, in 1992 when Bill Clinton was running for President of the United States, he made a promise to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military if he was elected (Washington Post). Bill Clinton followed through with his promise, and in December 1993 he instituted “a defense directive that military applicants should not to be asked about their sexual orientation” (Washington Post). This is now known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was the result

According to the opposing group, the presence of LGBT people in the military undermines the trust among soldiers and can reduce the overall effectiveness of the military. While they think all who want to serve the military should, they also think not all of them are able to. One says there are certain qualifications and expectations in the military and if you are transitioning or

Another problem with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is that, if discovered, homosexuals will be discharged from the military. The discharge of a homosexual from the military, based on his personal life, is a violation of equal rights. Every human is different, but none should be judged separately based upon who they are. “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; that if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else” (Obama 1). This statement shows that the nation does know about equal rights and is pushing for equal rights; therefore, “don’t ask, don’t tell” needs to be repealed for the integrity of our nation.

As the removal of the DADT policy has made the LGBT community happy, has this decision made America’s military stronger? Studies suggest that the removal of the policy has not made the military stronger. A select number of generals believe that the openness of the recruitment will boost numbers in recruitment and the morale of all soldiers will improve, but the repeal of this act was acted upon during a time of war. Instead of finding ways to aid the troops in combat, Congress was discussing if they should keep or repeal an act involving homosexual rights. Many military leaders believe that the repeal was pointless during the time of war and that the results did not benefit the armed forces. After the repeal, the leaders of the armed forces didn’t know how the troops would react. Some soldiers were against serving with homosexuals because it was against their moral beliefs. Other soldiers didn’t see any problem with serving with homosexuals. Some soldiers didn’t really care about the sexuality of their fellow servicemen and women.

Same-sex marriage bans are a form of discrimination regarding whom one can marry. Since marriage is conceived as playing a "uniquely foundational role in sustaining society" (Calhoun 148), saying that homosexuals are unfit to marry places them as dependent upon those who can maintain society’s foundation. This discrimination further marginalizes gays and lesbians. Acting justly and equally to one's own neighbor is seen by opponents of same-sex marriage bans as allowing equal rights to all with no distinction made involving the sexual identity of the parties involved (Calhoun 148). If homosexuals are allowed to join the military because it is a citizen’s right, then isn’t the right to marry even more fundamental, based on conservative arguments for the foundational importance of marriage? Homosexuals have to pay taxes as any other citizens do, yet they are denied rights that other tax-paying citizens receive. Based on the importance society attributes to the institution of marriage, homosexual citizens should be allowed this basic right (Sullivan 54).

For a long time the government and the citizens of America struggled with the division created by this policy. President Obama wanted to fix this and repealing the policy was one of the first things he tackled. This is in fact why President Obama decided to end the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy in 2010 according to article on CNN’s website entitled Obama signs repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. They quote him stating more than two centuries in the making," the president said. Over the course of U.S. history, "gay Americans fought just as hard (and) gave just as much to protect" the country as anyone else. "We are a nation that believes all men and women are created equal." He to believes that any gay person is just as capable as any straight person. By denying that right we are taking away their equality and saying they are not good enough to fight and defend our country.

In order to understand the argument surrounding “don’t ask, don’t tell” it is important to understand the history of the rules and laws concerning homosexual service in our military. Prior to 1993, the US Military did not allow homosexuals to serve. Any person who was suspected of being homosexual was investigated and if it was found to be true, the member was discharged from the military. If a military member admitted to being homosexual they were separated. The policy was strict and very black and white; homosexuality was not allowed in the military. That changed in 1993, when the “don’t ask,

Gay Rights. As a homosexual male or female, you were able to serve your country in the military. The person who allowed and signed as a law is President Bill Clinton. They could only serve in the military if only if they didn't show any love or affection to another solider. For a homosexual person in the military has to hide their love for the same sex. In the military they lie to everyone so they live one big lie to serve the military.

In 1999, more than 1,000 men and women were discharged from military service due to their sexuality. That number has actually decreased compared to recent years. (Suro NP) Homosexuals were purged from federal employment in 1950, with Bill Clinton updating that policy in 1993 by adding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy. (Deicher 176) This policy doesn’t work and needs to either be updated again or the ban against homosexuals lifted. Gays should be allowed to fight for the military for employment reasons, the right to fight for one’s country, and because they are no different from anyone else. The fact of the matter is that not even experts can argue in favor of keeping the

Before this, any form of lesbianism; bisexual behavior, gay and homosexuality in general were not tolerated in the military. In the year 1993, President Bill Clinton passed an interim compromise that gave the Department of Defense an opportunity to review the issue of sexual orientation in the military. The Department of Defense was reviewing the ban and come up with analysis that would end and prevent discrimination of prospective members of the military by looking at or/and asking them questions on sexual orientation. In the year 1993 after the review was made, the staff gave in to the suggestion made on ending discrimination with regard to sexual orientation. The Chief of staff agreed with Bill Clinton to remove any question concerning sexual orientation that was included in the application list that recruited military servants. This issue was very serious and required a lot of attention such that in the same year, Armed House Senate Congress (SASC) had extensive hearings on the issue of discrimination of homosexuals. Finally, they came up with an approach described as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. Under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell approach the Department of Defense were not allowed to ask questions that were aimed at finding out the sexual orientation of the prospective

When I think of the military I think about the camaraderie between soldiers, the bonds that tie them closer than brothers, and the willingness of one to die for another. I think about the long hours at work, the cramped living quarters and shared showers. I think about long deployments on ships where three hundred and fifty Sailors and Marines live in a single room. My husband had the privilege of serving in the United States Marine Corps for eight years, six of which we were married. I have witnessed the military men and women serve our country to the best of their ability, enduring endless hardships. I have also heard some service members voice concerns over the idea of openly gay men and women serving in the ranks. The

LGBT rights are one of the most argued rights today. These rights are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment states that you cannot deny a person equal protection, and some people completely ignore this when it comes to the LGBT community. People tend to believe that if someone is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and so forth, that there is something wrong with them and that they need help. That’s not the case at all. People in the LGBT community are just like everyone else that isn’t in that category. They’re trying to be true to who they are and that is so hard when you know that so many people in this world are disgusted by gays. Everyone deserves love, whether it be from someone of the opposite sex or the same sex. Some people see two girls together and think that it’s “inappropriate” or “disgusting”, and that they should be with a man. Heterosexuality is the sexuality that most parents force upon their children whether they notice it or not. “Do you have a boyfriend?” is one way that a parent is throwing heterosexuality in their daughter’s face. It’s not that their being forceful about it, or even trying to be rude, it’s just the most common thing of what they’re used to, but it’s not always going to be that way. It’s crucial to know that there are people in this world that are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. I’m in no way trying to speak for the LGBT community, but my goal concerning this paper is to discuss Supreme Court cases on same-sex couples and to cover areas where the LGBT community

Civil rights and same sex marriage is a topic I would love to write my senior paper about. I am very interested in this because especially now, it seems to be all any one is talking about. I go onto Facebook and see friends who have changed their profile pictures to the gay rights equality sign or the gay pride flag. It seems to be everywhere I look. However, my question is, if homosexuality is all around us why is it so hard for people to accept? I understand religion and conservatives and different upbringings and all that, but if two boys or two girls are in love, who are we to stop that and why are people so against it? Who gave the government the power to say "No, That is wrong, you cannot do that." This could be considered as a liberal point of view, but it does not seem right to me that if my best friend falls in love with another male, he cannot marry him. I am interested in this topic because I want to know more about how the government got all this power and why they choose to use it against the people. The government is supposed to protect us, and by not allowing two people to get married they are doing the exact opposite. The government is bringing more attention and negativity to gay people and hurting them more than helping. The public, including me,

All people regardless of sexual orientation deserve the same rights and protections.LGBT people have been fighting for their rights all over the world. In today’s world LGBT have to fight for themselves in order to get equal rights.Gays and lesbians should be given the same rights as heterosexuals.