Pew Research Article Summary

The movement of the gay and lesbian population in the United States is one that has been in progress since the early 1900s, and is still facing overwhelming controversy and backlash today. The push for gay liberation in a country founded on Christian morals and beliefs has subsequently led to struggles over equality of marriage, adoption, jobs, and healthcare. One side of the controversy argues that every individual deserves the same rights, while the opposing mindset argues that being homosexual puts you into a group of people that is different, and will therefore be treated as such.

Many people from the United States hold the belief that being gay is something that has always been considered to be okay. They believe that it is just a given. Despite people’s current beliefs on the subject, for a very long time, it was something that was widely believed to be taboo. In the past, people were imprisoned due to their sexuality. Regardless, throughout the decades, people have pushed for the widespread acceptance of people who are part of the LGBT community. Today, homophobia still exists in some parts of the United States, but we have come a long way since the early 1900s.

BRAMLETT, BRITTANY H. "The Cross-Pressures of Religion and Contact with Gays and Lesbians, and Their Impact on Same-Sex Marriage Opinion." Onlinelibrary.wiley.com. Politics & Policy, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

‘Strand distinguishes between support for civil rights and support for civil liberties, arguing that heterosexuals are more supportive of civil liberties for gay men and lesbians, which are concerned with protecting individuals from undue government interference in their private behaviour, than they are

“Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person’s core identity, and goes right to the very center of his being. It’s like being black in s society of whites, or a blonde European in a nation of black Asians” (Tamara L. Roleff). Although marriage, cohabitation and parenting styles of homosexual families pose no threats to the heterosexual society; many still believe same-sex marriage goes against its true purpose. “At the national level, American public opinion on the issue remains split (44 percent support legalizing same-sex marriage; 53 percent oppose same-sex marriage in a May 2010 Gallup Poll) even as opposition toward legalizing same-sex marriage is at its lowest point in decades

In Glascott's article, he included the statistic that in 1996 “only 27 percent of Americans thought that same sex marriages should be considered legally valid.” In contrast to present day approximately 21 years later, that number is now 54 percent, and it is 78 percent among people are between the ages of 18 and 29. Furthermore, according to the Washington Post, nearly 91% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 use social media. Both the internet and social media sites have allowed for gay and lesbian communities to promote their ideas and fight for their equality. As a fact, one of the major events in gay community development became the creation of so-called “The NOH8 Campaign” which means “no hate”.

In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people

In the article “Media's portrayal of homosexuality as a reflection of cultural acceptance” Austin Rowe uses the contact hypothesis to address the topic of homosexuality in media. This article is about how in recent years since homosexuality has become a positive media has began portraying it as a positive as well. This article is for all people who support the LGBT community and who just want to see in a different perspective how media is portraying the LGBT community. The article was written by Austin Rowe who is attending college at Georgia state. Rowe uses evidence to his advantage to make a very effective argument.

Gay male culture is by far the most talked about among the LGBTQI community — it has been talked about greatly by the media. And, arguably, it is the most influential. In politics, social values, and peoples’ perceptions, the gay male culture has changed the way many think of the gay community, and the LGBTQI community as a whole. Queer, fag, bear, twink: gay men promptly made their voices heard. After Massachusetts become the first state to legalize gay marriage, and the entire United Sates following nearly 10 years later, gays have instantly became a “sensation” of sorts.

The LGBTQ community are living a life in danger in America. Regardless of the acceptance of same-sex marriage, there are a number problems the LGBTQ community have to face, like the many obstacles to acceptance and equality. In The New York Times article, “The Challenges That Remain for L.G.B.T. People After Marriage Ruling” by Liam Stack, he starts by building his validity with commendable points and reliable sources, quoting to persuading points and information, and effectively utilizing emotional appeals to persuade readers that the LGBTQ community are in danger. Stack sets about his work of persuading readers that was going on in the world is not acceptable by presenting strong logical and ethical appeals. In his writing he points out that

Whilst explaining that there has been an on-going battle over gay rights and even comparing them to the rights of other overlooked populations such as the African American one, they explain that this fight has been fought most intensely at the subnational level; in legislatures, courtrooms, and direct democracy campaigns—yielding a complicated policy montage. Although some states have adopted numerous pro-gay policies; others have very few or none. The article stresses the struggles over various minority rights and how they have played an immense part in history and are among the main conflicts in any diverse democracy. Believing that possibly over time such struggles may have moved from race to sexual orientation, it is clear that basic tensions remain unresolved. Their analysis sheds insight into how these tensions play out for gay rights, and, in particular, their research allowed them to assess the degree to which majoritarian responsiveness has dissatisfied the objectives of the gay rights movement. The article also contains the argument of conservative religious voters and how they exercise an unjustified influence on policy making and through political activism and interest group pressure, have been able to successfully block popular laws that extend and grant government protection to the

Garner (2013) hypothesized that while the contact hypothesis may not erase prejudice within groups with deeply ingrained beliefs, it is possible that it would increase ambivalence. Similarly, they wondered if contact increased or decreased ambivalence for more liberal-minded participants. To conduct this study, Garner (2013) received data from a large and random survey conducted by the Pew Research Institute that included questions about whether or not the participant has a gay “friend, colleague, or family member”, asked about how strongly they supported gay marriage and accepted gay people. After analyzing results, Garner (2013) found that conservative participants who had a gay member of their social circle showed increased ambivalence compared to those who did not cite a relationship with a gay person. This was true for participants who identified as strong conservatives, evangelical Christians, and republicans.

As time went on, homosexuality came to be accepted as more mainstream. To confirm an article entitled “Most say homosexuality should be accepted by society” reveals that among the findings from the latest Pew Research Center political typology survey, released May 4, 2011. The survey conducted ,stated that while the public is divided over same-sex marriage, a majority of Americans (58%) say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society. Among younger people in particular, there is broad support for societal acceptance of homosexuality. More than six-in-ten (63%) of

My analysis of major themes and how the media participate in the construction of attitudes about gender and sexual orientation is predicated upon 16 articles drawn from three major news sources: Newsweek, The New York Times, and The Advocate. The articles were published in the months of January, February, and March. The selection of the articles was not random; I specifically chose articles whose titles and introductions were of particular interest. The three news sources, particularly the Times and The Advocate, published many articles related to LGBT issues—typically greater than a dozen for each weekly search—from which I selected only two per week. In sifting through the 16 articles, I identified three important

Opposition to gay marriage has increased since the summer and a narrow majority of Americans also oppose allowing gays and lesbians to enter legal agreements that fall short of marriage. Moreover, despite the overall rise in tolerance toward gays since the 1980s, many Americans remain highly critical of homosexuals ­ and religious belief is a major factor in these attitudes.