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Jake Williams Position Paper - Gay Rights English IV – 4th Hour 2 February 2010 The Gay Rights Movement: Has it Made a Difference? Throughout time the right to be homosexual has been in existence. Gays of the present like gays of the past faced ridicule and prejudices, but now in our modern world this revolution questing for acceptance and understanding has been faced with another challenge. Not only did this subculture search for the ability to claim their sexuality openly, they now plea with a modern America to be granted the same rights and benefits of their heterosexual counterparts. The Gay Rights movement has made legendary steps in the right direction along with the assistance of numerous organizations, such as IGLHRC (International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission), LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered), PFLAG (Parents for Lesbian and Gay), SLDN (The Service Members Legal Defense Network). _____ tells the story of a young boy who was raised by two mothers, who is speaking to gay-rights organization. He is trying to prove the point that children of same-sex couples can develop the same as children of heterosexual couples. He gives many examples of other kids who were raised by same-sex couples that turned out straight and some of which became powerful people. The stereotypical American family works 8 to 5 has a white collar job, a few kids, goes to church on Sunday, and eats a communal meal, and uses Saturday as a family day. The image of this kind of lifestyle: although unrealistic is what the common man uses against homosexuals. Many people believe that it requires a mother and a father to properly bring up a child, while in fast every physical and emotional/mental need can be provided just fine by having two fathers or two mothers. Many children that have been raised by same sex couples have turned out just fine by the American standard even tho some would say that the few flaws that this group of people have while different are caused by having a same sex couple as their parents. Many people believe that being homosexual is a sin that damns some ones soul to hell. It is a common Christian belief……….. The bible states “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders” Title IX “…No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, except that:…” (1972) protects gay students from being harassed by other students and also keeps teachers and other authority figures in school from harassing them or discriminating against them too. Many organizations have tried to slow the process of liberation for homosexuals throughout the years such as Dred Scott The Fourteenth Amendment has an “Equal Protection Clause” in it that can be used to protect homosexual by making states provide equal protection under the law to all people within their jurisdiction. This article represents marriage and what it means. To further explain the author gives many examples of peoples’ ideas on marriage such as what they would do if they were in the shoes of the homosexual community. This article covers the gay adoption ban in Florida that has been in limbo for nearly thirty years. Judges in the state court are starting to allow same-sex couples to adopt, they have now allowed three couples. In this article arguments are made against the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Policy currently in place by the United States Government. It also talks about how removing it is one of the biggest civil rights movements at the moment and compares it to abused women in the Muslim community and to homosexuals in Iran. It also talks about how that is a security hazard to military service members and their co-workers, and how that it hasn’t hurt any other country that has allowed including Canada, Great Britain, and Israel.

Because of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Policy homosexual service members are affected by and unjust laws that causes; loss of benefits, not being able to live openly, and become hazards themselves and other service members. First of all, benefits should not be stripped away from someone because of their sexual orientation or denied for their significant other because of it either. Many benefits that could be very valuable or even vital to lives have been taken away from homosexual service members since 1993 when the bill was passed as a compromise to the gay community. Health care benefits for gays service members “partners” have been denied and we can probably conclude from common knowledge that people get really sick, that many have lost their lives because of it. Other benefits; such as educational kickbacks, free housing and tax breaks have also been abnegated since and before the bill was passed. Furthermore, not having the ability to lead an open life has caused many problems for gay men and lesbian women for many years; over an estimated sixty-five thousand homosexuals and currently in the Armed Forces serving in the closet. Not being able to be around your partner with your friends, for fear that it could cost your source of income or home if someone reported you; could cause relationship problems, and even more terrible the inner struggles of leading two lives must cause. Last of all, being a closeted homosexual in the military is also a big hazard because of the high risk of blackmail and the damage that it can do to our nation’s security. This is a threat that would not exist if there wasn’t a reason to hide in a metaphorical closet. This can also endanger people other than that of the blackmail. The stress of having to watch your back can also cause trust issues with fellow soldiers that could cause fights and arguments between the soldiers. This concludes the discussion of this ongoing topic as it is unnecessary for these reasons alone are enough to stop this indefensible “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that the United States government has enacted upon the homosexual community for sixteen long years. The Armed Forces is a fine example of a government blockade on gay rights that prevents homosexuals from equally living like their fellow heterosexual soldiers. The “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy allows homosexuals to so serve in the U.S. Military, but forbids the admission of being openly gay. At the time of conception the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy appeared as a grand gesture by Congress, only to reveal inevitable hardships placed on the lives of gay service members. These hardships include not receiving the same benefits as heterosexual soldiers, the inability to openly live as a gay soldier, and the pain experienced from one having to live a dual life. Because of the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy gay “couples” cannot receive the same benefits such as on base housing, insurance, or educational kickbacks. Not being able to attend official functions with their significant other, or being able to be themselves can cause …. In modern America, it would appear that same-sex marriage would be something that would be accepted with open arms, but be people are still living with old-hat beliefs. Homosexuals are not granted the same rights as heterosexuals when it comes to marriage; the gay community has been given the domestic partnership to replace marriage. Along with domestic partnerships they are also striped of the benefits such as insurance, family discounts, and tax breaks. Insurance for children is very important for family with low income, and still a great expense for those that do have a steady strong income. Another area where blatant discrimination exists is with adoption. While there are thousands of homeless/family less kids in America and around the world the state government in Florida will not all same-sex couples to adopt. A bill in Oklahoma at one point, now removed by a high court because it was unconstitutional, made it to where the state of Oklahoma didn’t recognize adopted children of same-sex couples even when they were just passing through the state. Homosexuals of modern time face many obstacles and injustices to be able to live what society calls a normal life. Their kids will also face similar injustices whether it be being picked on at school and having to defend their parents or many other things. It is hard to believe that such a small population of people could start such a big motivating movement that is still under such controversy today. What could possibly have allowed small groups of unrecognized and not respected people organize to become so powerful minority? How could a small riot start a revolutionary crusade of social change? While there are many different ways that the homosexual population could have done it; there are three that stick out more to many scholars. Classical collective behavior being one of them, means that the that when unusual things happen that cause people to become out of their norms of life cause them to rapidly react and sometimes in irrational and remarkable ways and cause mass revelations. This isn’t relevant to the movement because they people at the stonewall bar were use to being overran by the police. The theory of charismatic movements, where that someone can mobilize great masses of people by captivating them with speeches that usually affect them by griping their emotions and shredding them up into bits, is not relevant to this because in the beginning of the gay rights movement, because the organization happened later in the movement. Resource mobilization where that groups use resources such as money, political power, ways to communicate, or power people in the community is not useful to the movement at this time, because they didn’t have any resources yet, even though it was something that made a great impact on it later. The most respected theology on how that the gay right movement came to be is the indigenous model because it explains that the groups that don’t have the same abilities that the normal population have struggle with authorities that have power over them. Further explaining how that these movement must rely upon other outside variables such groups or people with power to lead and to make groups to gather and react with them in their time of need or at least when there act is at its final stages. In order to cover more about the movement I would have to research things such as the laws that make homosexuals equal in modern times, or how that they cannot get married legally in some states.

Meyer, B. (2010). Expanding domestic partner benefits backed. Buffalo News, The (NY), Retrieved February 10, 2010, from Newspaper Source database.

Bret, S. (2010). Don't Ask, Don’t Tell Doesn’t Work. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from TOPIC search database.

Florida’s gay adoption ban [Editorial]. (2010, February 5). The Palm Beach Post, p. 1

Wildman, S. (2010, January 21). Children Speak For Same-Sex Marriage. New York Times, pp. 1.

Poindexter, C. C. (1997). Sociopolitical Antecedents to Stonewall: Analysis of the Origins of the Gay Rights Movement in the United States. Social Work, 42(6), 607-615. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Academic Search Elite EBSCOhost.

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