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A similar movement Is taking place today: the gay rights movement. Although the homosexual population has many of the rights that were denied to African Americans during the call rights movement, there are some freedoms that are very important to all people that are being stolen from them purely because of their sexual orientation. For example, they are being denied the privilege to serve their country and even to get married to the one they love. Although the movement has been a long time coming, it has been rapidly gaining momentum In the country. All over the world, countries Like France, Ireland,
Scotland, Germany, Taiwan and New Zealand have already legalized a gay rights bill, effectively allowing them to have all the same rights that everyone else in the country has. Even here at home, states like New York, Delaware, and Maryland have recognized the rights of their gay population. With the rapid growth of the movement, many are surprised that gay rights is even still being debated. The issue of gay rights has been a seed planted thousands of years ago when even Roman soldiers turned to homosexuality and has been growing Into the thrilling flower It Is today.
For years, being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender was completely taboo and it wasn’t until recent years that it has become considered, at least by some, to be a socially acceptable subject, even becoming a popular subject in media via television shows such as Fox’s Glee and Nab’s Smash. With the growing popularity of the issue in media and news, support for the movement has also been growing. A national research survey performed by Pew Research Center found Americans supporting gay rights forty-nine percent to forty-four percent. When narrowed down to eighteen to thirty-two year olds, approval rose to seventy percent. Gay Marriage Not Just Legality”) In states all over the nation and countries all over the world, people are showing their pride in their sexuality instead of hiding it, having rallies, protests , and gay pride festivals without shame. In many places, even people who are vehemently straight and never have considered homosexuality attend such events to show their support for the gay population and their rights. Earner this year on January third, the first openly gay senator, Timmy Baldwin was sworn into office as the senator of Wisconsin.
In her acceptance speech, she acknowledged that she was also Hissing’s first female senator. Her running opponent was ex-Wisconsin senator Tommy Thompson. In her acceptance speech, when talking about her position as the first openly gay senator in America, she stated, “l didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a deference. ” (Phillip). The newly elected senator’s victory Is a perfect example of how people are becoming more accepting of Many people believe that denying gay people the rights of every American citizen purely because of their sexual orientation is encroaching on their civil rights as an
American. Something as sacred and longed for as marriage is something that should not be denied to any man or woman purely because of the sex of the person they want to marry. The issue of marriage equality is arguably one of the most prominent points enveloped in gay rights. Of course, there’s more to gay rights than Just marriage, but at the moment, with all the attention it has been getting in the media and even in Congress, the laws against gay marriage have sort of become the fighting stance for the gay rights movement and the people involved.
So far, less than half the tastes in the nation have legalized marriage equality, but that may be rapidly changing. Although many people think that the marriage laws should be handled on a state by state basis and decided by the people in the state, that also brings up the issue of whether marriages performed in states where it is considered legal would be recognized in states where it hasn’t yet been legalized. Would a gay man who was married to his partner in New York where it’s legal still be legally married if he and his husband moved to somewhere like Michigan where it isn’t yet legal?
Before anything can be decided on whether it should be decided by the higher ups in the Federal Government for the nation as a whole or decided by the states as individuals, this issue must be resolved. (“Gay Marriage Not Just Legality). Every little girl dreams of her perfect fairytale wedding and plans everything years in advance. Many even plan the type of person they want to marry. One can only imagine the hurt those little girls must feel when they grow up and those plans are dashed because they are told by people they don’t know that they can’t have their fairytale wedding because of the arson they choose to fall in love with.
Marriage is an ancient and sacred thing that should not be denied to any man or woman despite their race, religious beliefs, or sexuality. The American constitution says that every person has certain inalienable rights. Shouldn’t the right to marry be one of those inalienable rights? One fourth grade student wrote a persuasive essay on the subject of gay marriage and stated that “. .. It doesn’t matter if it creeps you out, Just get over it. ” and that “… You should be happy for them because it’s a big moment in their lives…
The student’s teacher that graded the essay and posted it where it was found said, “….. He has more sense than most adults. ” (Hallowed). One of the major concerns about gay marriage is that it’ll corrupt children or deprive them of either a firm father fugue or a warm mother character. This young man has shown that those concerns are unfounded and children should be allowed to form their own opinions, regardless of their parents’ views on things and their prejudices. The boy who wrote this essay is only a miniscule portion of the new upcoming generation.
One day, people like that young o will be running this nation and maybe, we’ll finally have equality. Most of those who oppose gay rights tend to to do so vehemently. One example of this would be the mob attacks on a gay rights rally in Moscow that sent fourteen people to the hospital. Among the leaders of the mob group that initiated the attacks were several priests in the front of the rock throwing mob. Bishops of the Gregorian church who were also involved in the attacks stated that the violence was regrettable, but that they were “obligated to protest the abomination of a rally. Even days after eating them mercilessly. Among those injured at the rally were several police officers and reporters. (Roth). There are people like this all over the world who are so prejudiced and so spiteful of people that are different than them that they resort to violence. There are so many better ways to protest something that one disagrees with than hurting the people who support it. As long as the issue of equality is still being debated, this violence will continue. The longer this debate over rights that should need no debate at all goes on, the violence will only get worse.
All over the world, teenagers who have come out as gay are killing themselves because the ridicule they get from others and even from their parents is so bad that they feel there is nowhere to turn and nothing they can do to make things better so they resort to taking their own life before it can even really begin. Even if there is an equality law passed, there is no way that anyone can be sure that the violence will end, but there WILL be a way to be sure that those responsible will have no ground to stand on when it comes to a legal battle and they WILL be punished for their actions.
As for those teenagers all over who feel they have nowhere to turn, they can have assurance that there is a better way and that things will get better. The major group that opposes gay marriage is the religious groups. Their claim is that it is morally wrong to let gay people marry because “God said Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. ” or in other words, that the Bible says that marriage is supposed to be between one man and one woman with no exceptions. What they always seem to forget is that in Mark 12:31, the Bible clearly states, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.
There are no commands greater than these. ” If the people who are stoning, beating, and ridiculing people to death want to be treated that way in return, then that’s on them, but they have no right to be telling people that they’ll be going to Hell and that God could never love them purely because of their sexual preferences when the one in whose name they’re claiming that it is wrong and even offensive said that they should love everyone and treat others how they would want to be treated.
People are people no matter their race, height, weight, religion, political views, or sexual orientation and they should all be treated as such even if you don’t necessarily agree with what they believe. In today’s society, it is believed that we accept everyone and everything that comes along with them, but that can’t be true if we are still discriminating against people purely for the people they choose to fall in love with.
Back in the asses and the asses when the civil rights movement was in full swing, so many people were willing to give their time and in some cases, their lives to stand up for what they believed in and in the end, they got the rights of equality they deserved. Today, the gay rights movement is beginning to turn out Just like the civil rights movement, with people being ridiculed and scorned for something they really cannot control.
The only real difference between the movements is that back then, African Americans were fighting for rights such as the right to vote and to actually be in the same section of a building or bus as a white person. Today, we fight for something as important and as sacred as marriage and the right to walk down the street hand in hand with the one we love without being ashamed. Now that people are beginning to realize that gay people have all the same feelings as those who are straight and they can be hurt Just as the way to the White House.