In a Country of Diversity and Tolerance, Discrimination for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender Still Exists

From slaves and immigrants to women and gays, America has struggled with the principle of equality for all people. A principle that is clearly laid out in the 14th amendment of The United States Constitution, “No state shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” (14th Amendment Section 2) And yet the rights of millions Americans have be infringed upon from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s to even more recent history such as Gay rights. African Americans, Immigrants, women, and homosexuals toil till this day to achieve freedom from discrimination in a country that was built on the idea of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Roaring Twenties, a time of great change in America. Literature from that time really represented what was going on in the world, as The Great Gatsby and “A Rose for Emily” prove. Writers frequently used different literary elements F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” both used foreshadowing, point of view, and characterization to show living in the past can cause problems.

Although there is evidence of the increase of endorsement for LGBT rights and equality, there is no official compromise that is made between them and society. The lack of a full compromise can be explained through the fact that America’s principle of freedom and

Whether we like it or not, discrimination is a problem that has been occurring for thousands of years and is one that will continue to occur for years to come. American history has seen its share of discrimination, perhaps none more evident than the mid-19th century. Political tensions between northern and southern states concerning states’ rights and slavery sent the country into turmoil. The bloodiest battle in American history soon began and the country would never be the same again. However, after the conclusion of the war at Appomattox Court House, the definition of American citizenship and personal liberties would be changed forever. Unfortunately, discrimination has continued to take place within the nation’s borders against other groups of people. Recently, discrimination against homosexual individuals has been quite an intense topic of debate. Although I do understand the logic behind people’s beliefs, it is astonishing to me that there are people in this world that aggressively disallow others to be who they are and live the life that they so choose to live. Persecution of others for religious or political beliefs, although understandable, is a devastating problem to the entire world. In my eyes, how can America be the land of the free and the home of the brave when citizens are unable to be free in their choices and are forced to be brave to act against these unethical doings? We have seen reforms take place to minimize discrimination throughout

According to DOMA, “In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife” (sec 3). Until recently 2013, the US Supreme Court finally delivered the verdict that declared section 3 of the DOMA, which is the rejection of right to gay marriage is unconstitutional (Shapiro 208). In “Gay Marriage Is A Fundamental Right” by Nathan Goetting, “The right to many, and to marry the person of one's choice, is a fundamental right and a necessary aspect of human happiness. This has been an explicitly stated abiding principle since the Court used its power of judicial review to strike down as unconstitutional a legislature's definition of marriage in 1967.” Currently, 17 states in the United States have legalized the right to same sex marriage. The realization of DOMA is unconstitutional has further evidenced that gay marriage is one of the civil right that should not be taken away by the government, and it is an inevitable changes that open doors for equality and equity.

The global divide of same-sex marriage remains a controversial and convoluted topic across North America. The civil rights of human beings were put into question against the underlying discriminatory issue of homosexuality within the state in the New York Washington post article, “As Rulings Are Announced, Cheers and Tears Among Waiting Crowd”. Wednesday June 26th, 2013 at 10:00am marked the official ruling that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as a union between man and woman, was unconstitutional. History was made as gay spouses were given the legal right to social security benefits such as, shared health cares plans without tax penalties and gay foreigners married to Americans were given access to

This act was passed to define and protect the institution of marriage which is supposed to be “between a man and a woman”. As a tactic, the state of Vermont promoted same sex marriages by labeling them as “civil unions” (Schowengerdt, 2002). The state of Vermont felt civil unions would provide gays and lesbians with the same financial benefits as heterosexual couples (Stewart, 2004). In 1998, Hawaii’s stated legislation implemented the DOMA amendment that altered the state’s constitution and rejected same sex marriages (Schowengerdt, 2002). Between 1995 and 2000, 28 states passed laws preventing the recognition of same sex marriages (Schowengert, 2002). The purpose of the DOMA was to prevent gays and lesbians from “exporting same sex marriages to other states” (Finnis, 1997). A Florida Federal Judge denied two women recognition of their marriage which took place in Massachusetts. As a result of this denial, attemtps were made to force other states and the federal government to recognize same sex marriages in states where it is legal (Stewart, 2003).

Over the year the United States and the world was and still is violating a person’s human rights. For century’s women, African Americans, gays, and lesbians were the grunt of such unfair treatment. Men thought a women place was in the home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Whites thought that black people did not deserve any rights because of their skin color. People where against gays and lesbians because of their sexual preference. In some countries women are not allowed to work. In India a great part of the reason they don 't work seems to lie in the constancy of India 's conventional sexual orientation standards, which try to guarantee virtue of ladies by shielding them from men other than their spouses and limit

The Defense Marriage Act is also known as DOMA. This act has been around for decades and continues to change over the years to shape individuals rights and needs. Individual’s perception of marriage equality is constantly evolving, and the number of government officials that recognize same-sex marriage is constantly changing (Rodriguez & Blumell, 2014). This act not only affects the LGBTQ community and their families, but also affects the whole nation. Many have different opinions on the topic and what should be in the Defense Marriage Act. Some were elated with the recent decision in the summer of 2013 the LGBT community where included in the Defense Marriage Act. This arose when the language of section (2) in the DOMA, was defined as unconstitutional

The problem with the issue of gay marriage is being faced across the country. This issue has grown in popularity as we have progressed through our stages of taboo to acceptance of gays and their lifestyle. The media and remodels have expressed their acceptance of the issue by exploring the lifestyle and publicizing it. Now California has moved to the forefront of modern attempts to eliminate the codified restrictions on their life. With a high gay population and being one of the most populated states California has been the foreground for the step to make gay marriage deemed unconstitutional.

The Defense of Marriage Act was a law passed by Congress stating that individual states were not required to recognize same-sex marriage licenses issued by other states. President Bill Clinton signed the bill in 1996 (ABC Clio). The act also defined marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman, which had never been clearly defined before. Most importantly, it prevented same-sex couples from recieving federal benefits such as health insurance, retirement savings, and social security (Sprigg). The overruling of this act in 2013 forced states to recognize same-sex marriage licenses given by other states (Supreme Court). It also acted as a step towards same-sex marriage legalization, which took place in a seperate ruling in 2015. Edith

It’s been a while since same-sex marriage was legalized in California, but before it was legal they had to go thru a lot to make it happen. In 2000, same sex marriage was denied in California; Bay Area was the only area that the majority was supporting gay marriage all the other regions were against it. Republican state Sen. William Knight said that California wasn’t ready for same-sex marriage, he also believed that gay marriage would “violate the natural law”. In 2005, The state Assembly, in a stunning victory for the gay rights movement, approved a landmark bill allowing same-sex marriage Tuesday night and sent to Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2008, there was a petition asking the California Supreme to order all 58 county clerks throughout California to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

One reason why LGBT Americans are mostly treated unfairly is because currently, LGBT Americans only have a handful of rights. One of the biggest milestones was when on June 26th, 2015, LGBTQ+ marriage was legalized at a federal level in all 50 of the United States. And the LGBT community is popping up more and more in the media. This article states "The struggle of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) people for equal rights has moved to center stage. LGBT people are battling for their civil rights in Congress, in courtrooms and in the streets. Well-known figures are discussing their sexual orientation in public. Gay and lesbian people are featured in movies and on television - not as novelty characters, but as full participants in society." (“The Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered People”). In some states, discrimination of LGBT people is illegal. LGBTQ+ people's lives are improving, and the amount of laws protecting them is growing. Slowly but surely, full protection is drawing nearer.

Doma or The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996 in efforts to stop same-sex marriages in fear of the debate in Hawaii. Doma this labeled gays as immoral, perverse, depraved, and an attack on God’s principles. Congress passed Doma defining marriage as between a women and a man for the first time in history (Stone, 2012). Congress was clearly influenced by religious beliefs in passing Doma, which makes this unconstitutional. The United states government provides many benefits to married couples such as federal employees are entitled to medical coverage, the spouse of an individual covered by Social Security is eligible for retirement and survivor benefits, and married couples who file joint tax returns usually pay considerably lower federal income taxes than individuals who file separately (Stone, 2012 p.1). However, gay couples are refused these rights under law. Gay couples are denied many rights making them second class in the eyes of the government. If the partner of a gay couple was to be hospitalized the other can be denied rights to see them because they are not considered family. If the partner was to pass away the family can come in and make all the decisions even though it might be against the wishes of the deceased. The family can then take everything away from the surviving partner that dedicated their life and love to. The

The LGBT community has made new laws all the time to bring about equality. One thing that has been having more equality is same-sex marriage. Since June of 2015 the U.S has said it is legal to have same-sex marriage. Lawmakers for years tried to get same-sex marriage approved. Finally, this happened “Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born” (Confessore, Barbaro). Even though it was finally passed as a law to allow same-sex marriage in America in 2015, many people before that ruling that federal taxes should be used to gain the equality the LGBT move needed