Traditionalism In Texas

When the three of us decided to use Texas as our micro-culture, I thought it was a great idea. I am not a Texan, since by definition to be a Texan, you must have been born in Texas, no exceptions (http://www.texas-best.com), but do consider myself an honorary Texan.

In recent years, the United States has been struggling to pass transgender rights, and Texas is of no means of an exception. Some of these include bathroom rights. In Texas, the bathroom bill passed through the Texas Senate, but did not survive through the Texas House, resulting in a temporary halt. Even now, the government still question the rights. It is suggested that Texas may need a bathroom bill, but would probably end in some kind of financial consequence, along with many Americans losing their jobs. The Texas Bathroom Bill, otherwise known as SB6, could also fuel disunity within our nation and cause several riots.

Texas, while one of the largest and most diverse states in the United States is also one of the most ideologically conservative. This is especially prevalent through traditional behaviors and the religious influence upheld in its legislature. These qualities can be seen in vast majority in the Senate Bill No. 6, or more popularly known as the “Bathroom Bill”. This newly proposed bill was brought forth for the first time in May of 2016 and has since turned people to anger and fear as it has been gaining momentum.

“Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent years on the political stage. During that time, not only has he consistently opposed LGBT equality, but he’s used his opposition to LGBT rights as a campaign issue against other candidates.” “Perry supported a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in Texas, supports a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage nationwide, and has attacked judges who have ruled against same-sex marriage bans. He even defied a Department of Defense rule that would have granted LGBT service members access to domestic partner benefits.” Living with a governor for 15 years that has been so adamant against the equality of same sex relationships, how can our state change for the better? Even our current governor, Greg Abott is against same sex marriage. He believes the ruling goes against the religious beliefs of Texans and has been against it since it was passed. “The Supreme Court has abandoned its role as an impartial judicial arbiter and has become an unelected nine-member legislature. Five Justices on the Supreme Court have imposed on the entire country their personal views on an issue that the Constitution and the Court’s previous decisions reserve to the people of the States. Despite the Supreme Court’s rulings, Texans’ fundamental right to religious liberty remains protected. No Texan is required by the Supreme Court’s decision to act contrary to his or her religious beliefs regarding marriage. The Texas Constitution guarantees that no human authority ought, in any case whatsoever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion; and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, combined with the newly enacted Pastor Protection Act, provide robust legal protections to Texans whose faith commands them to adhere

One thing that all Americans should be familiar with is the Bill of Rights. “The Bill of Rights protected the freedoms of assembly, speech, religion, and the press; guaranteed speedy trial by an impartial jury; preserved the people’s right to bear arms; and prohibited unreasonable searches” (TAS 157). The Bill of Rights was a necessity to be implemented into the Constitution. Furthermore, “by December 15, 1791, the amendments had been ratified by three-fourths of the states” (TAS 157). The ideas shown in the Bill of Rights are pertinent in today’s society and were instrumental in shaping America.

As American citizens, we are entitled to certain unalienable rights. As defined by Merriam-Webster, these rights are deemed to be impossible to take away or give up. (Online). These rights are found and clearly defined in the Amendments of our nation’s Constitution. Most often, the public’s attention surrounds rights contained within the first ten Amendments, which are commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. The United States Bill of Rights plays a central role in American law and government, and is a fundamental symbol of the freedoms and culture of the nation.

Lawrence v. Texas had an impact on the government in two ways. First, the ruling stated  that private and consensual homosexual sex is the right to liberty and preserved by the Constitution. Second, Lawrence held that "fundamental rights" are very broad concepts of liberty under numerous and different activities may be kept safe.

Citizens of any country are given some rights as well as responsibilities, and the United States of America is no exception. The Constitution (US Const) of the USA as well as the first ten amendments, also known as “Bill of Rights”, defines the framework of it. It is a supreme law that defines how Federal Government works.

Imagine you can’t have sexual intimacy with your partner. Or, not in the way you’d prefer. Before 2003, Texas had sodomy laws. These laws, in Texas, prevented specifically same-sex couples from engaging in sexual intercourse. In 2003, based on a call about a weapons disturbance, police officers entered John Lawrence’s apartment, where they found him and Tyron Garner engaged in sexual intercourse. This went against the Sodomy Laws. They were brought to court, and eventually the case was brought to Supreme Court; where Paul M. Smith argued that this law, this denial of privacy in a way, was unconstitutional. It went against both the eighth and the fourteenth amendment. In the case of Lawrence v Texas, the Supreme Court made the right decision

The definition of political culture can be given as the collection of sentiments and convictions which allow signification and consistency to a political process. Said definition also includes providing the norms and latent assumptions that determine conduct in a political system. Ergo, political culture can be considered a reflection of the beliefs and opinions of a culture’s people about the concept of government, including specifically how said people think others should regard such. As such, the political culture of a given system is the accumulation of the culture’s composite history as well as the personal histories of individuals within the system.

Due to the subjectivity of rights, they differ between cultures, countries, and throughout time. The United States is not exempt from this issue: because there are unlimited interpretations of “rights” (what they are, who gets them, which are necessary), which leaves them up to debate. In the end, it’s congress (and occasionally the Supreme Court) who makes the final call. As a result of this subjective nature, the rights of citizens of The United States have been defined in the Constitution as well as its amendments. The rights of the American people can be difficult to fully define and apply.

These are a kind of “inalienable rights” as referred to in our own Declaration of Independence. Further, Locke’s reference to “life, liberty, and possessions” echoes heartily of the Declaration’s rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of

It also raised awareness that the very same acts done by heterosexual couples were acceptable, and not punishable in the confines of the home, but that gays were not even safe in private. After the decision in Lawrence v Texas made by the U.S. Supreme Court, it was understood that the gay community had a chance to move forward into the light even more, and that their fight for freedom would not disappear. By declaring that it is unconstitutional to make arrests against gays in the home, it also declared that homosexuals should have the same rights as everyone else. It made it more acceptable and brought homosexuality into the light to where it was okay to talk about and dispute. Not only was it just "an invasion of liberty, as the Court thought", but also the case enforced a bad law, a Homosexual Status Law, which made being gay a crime.

The case of Lawrence v. Texas involves two adults who fully and mutually agree to engage in sexual acts that are common to homosexual lifestyles. The state can not belittle their own survival or control their own destiny by proclaiming private sex as criminal acts. Many commentators interpret opinion as a liberal ethical approach that fundamentally broadens privacy and freedom of constitutional rights to cover all "no victim" crimes. Judge Scalia responded to the view that the exclusion of the

Same-sex couples can hardly remember a time where they were not fighting for their right to marriage in the United States. After several court cases, California Proposition Six, and their struggle against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), same-sex couples found their way into U.S. society. Many misguided studies appealed to those opposing same-sex marriage, but after several years of integrating in society, same-sex couples found the support they were looking for. Before the Supreme Court deemed DOMA unconstitutional, U.S. courts and citizens--many who viewed homosexuality as immoral--limited same-sex marriage; views have shifted in favor of same-sex marriage after increasing public support and same-sex representation brought the injustice to light.