Gay and Lesbian Rights in the United States - Essay Example

Gay and Lesbian Rights in the United States There have been many instances of violence all over the world. In addition to this, people are also subjected to inequality. This has led to many cases of torture for these people. This has been largely founded on who these people are, what they love, and even how they look like. Sexual orientation and the identity of gender are the major aspects of people. They should not contribute to the abuse of people or the discrimination to any person in the world. Human rights watch takes the initiative to protect the rights of the gay people’s rights. Regardless of this effort, there has been a lot of criticism towards this. For many years, marriage has been associated to the enjoyment of its rights for both a man and a woman. In both sexes, marriage is expected to take the dimension of opposite sex. In the past years now, many communities in the United States of America got involved in debates concerning the response to a gay society. In reality, this conflict was founded on the grounds of sexual orientation which was a component of the legislation in the local antidiscrimination. Some societies instituted fundamental changes in the laws and even education in order to cater for this. On the other hand, the other communities have passed the laws in the face of vigorous opposition. However, other debated on this without any action being taken. As a result, many parts of America have fostered protection of the gay rights. However, they has been limited support from the national government despite the support from the local government. With the administration that was assumed to be sympathetic, the gay rights advocates have failed to persuade the congress into repealing the abolition of the gays in the US military. When the republican took over the power, a movement that fueled the fight for the gay rights was not a success. This will then imply that the activists of gay rights should work hard to see this being legislated. Taking a report from some of the cities and counties in the United States of America, detailed information pertaining the protection of the gay rights was obtained. The data covered the aspects of legal safeguards of the gay rights and also lesbians. The historical background of the gay rights emergence can be traced to the aftermath of the Second World War. At this time, there was a rapid change in the social norms and this led to the emphasis on personal autonomy. Sexual identity is one of the major frontiers in the realm of cultural politics. This was projected towards the interest of the gays and lesbians. In the era after the World War II, protective organizations came up to help in signaling the sense for the homosexuals and also their rights. Part of the motives behind this is to push for the introduction of sexual orientation in the human rights legislations. There was an increasing hostile environment for the gays in many cities and states. The measures of prohibiting discrimination pertaining to the sexual orientation can be different in various parts of the world. Public policy attitudes are linked to the attributions that pertain to the nature of social problems. Those people who view crime and other problems in the society as a result of a weak character tend to appeal to dispositional attributions. There is an extension of the attribution styles to the support of the gay rights. This is in response to the public policies preferences. There has been a public opinion that relates to the prejudice towards the minority groups in the society. For instance, the blacks and the gay and lesbians. There have been many debates on gay rights for that matter. In these debates, there are assumptions and presuppositions regarding the causes of the sexual orientation called homosexuality. Some people argue that homosexuality is a lifestyle. They may be right. This is strongly supported by the view on this lifestyle. For instance, there are some benefits that are associated with this habit. The man and women who are gay have taken their time to evaluate the costs that are associated with this behavioral trend in sexual orientation. Therefore, they have taken various courses of action depending on their own evaluation that is voluntary. The conservatives of religion argue that there is no merit under the above view to protect the gay rights. They do not need any protection from the nation in terms of advocacy for their rights. The people who propose the gay rights argue that gay practice is linked to biological factors, some of which are genetic. Therefore, through this viewpoint, the gay men and women are not responsible for any biological disposition that cannot be controlled by these members of the society. Statistics from polls reveal that gay rights can be attributed to some beliefs. This also tries to offer answers to the questions raised concerning homosexuality. Some portion of the population in America claim that homosexuality cannot be changed easily. This is according to the general social survey that was conducted a year ago. Truly, from the statistics, gay practice cannot be altered. This is simply because the act is dependent on the choices of a person. A small portion of the population support the legislation concerning gay rights so that the civil liberties of the homosexuals can be protected. However, the group that claim that the cat cannot be changed are of the idea that legislative measures cannot be adopted with reference to gay rights. The attitudes of many people towards the ethical value of homosexuality is distinct from the attitudes about the legality of the civil rights in this context. Studies have been conducted to evaluate the social foundation of the support for the rights of the gays. One of the studies conducted on this issue reveal the basis for supporting the gay rights by considering the social dimension over the matter. This is dependent on the influence that beliefs portray pertaining the causes of homosexuality. Opposition towards the gay rights can be clearly defended on the following grounds also. Marriage is meant for a man and woman at the basic level. Advocating for gay rights will surely go against the laws that exist in nature. This also risks undermining the institution of marriage. There is also a question of the role of the family in marriage. Indeed, the main aim of the family is to ensure that the society is held together. Promoting the gay rights will simply mean that the central role of the family is compromised. Procreation is another factor that will be compromised also. Many partnerships for the gays exists in the civil contexts, but truly, marriage is step that is too far away from that perspective. On the same note, gay rights lead to a situation where the religion is undermined. In many religions of the world, gay rights do not hold any substance. In the Christian religion, there is a section that forbids a man lying with another man the same way he could do with a woman. This can be pointed out from the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here, Christianity was really against sodomy. In the New Testament, Paul, who was an apostle of Jesus, quoted many texts that are against the homosexual relationship. According to Islamic religion, sodomy is viewed as a crime. According to the sharia law, this is punishable by death. This is essentially because it contrasts the postulates of morality in the Islamic societies. Muslim states have strong stand that this act that is regarded immoral. The gay rights can be substantiated under the context of equal rights for all people in the society. However, all rights have limits. If there is sense in legalizing homosexuality, then other acts such as polygamy draw an attention in the public domain. Moreover, other incestuous marriages can also find a reason for their course of legalization. Gay people can maintain their relationships. But, it is absurd to have these people married. This further disqualifies the rights in this context of same sex marriage. Gay rights will also lead to emergence of a scenario where the existing marriages are undermined. Existence of sociological pressures lead to that situation. When the gay marriages are made legal, there will be a case where there will be emergence of relationships that will not last forever. For instance, there is not verifiable evidence for the benefits of this practice. Gay rights can lead to some unions that are questionable in the society. With the advent of advocacy for these rights, a slippery slope exists pertaining the existence of unions that are legal but prone to questioning. This majorly entails the ethical perspective of these associations. For instance, when an act that is immoral is legal, the normal and conventional human interaction swill cease to exist at some point. Considering a case of legalizing alcohol and then heroin automatically becomes legal. This is a worst case because the other issue that finds its route into action may have more adverse impacts than the initial act itself. Gay rights also promote an act that can lead to diseases to the members of the society. According to the statistics from the US agency, more than 50 percent of HIV infections in the United States are attributed to the gay relationships. There are many emerging infections that men who are gay ca contract in this affair with other men. There was study that was carried out by CDC which showed that there were infection in the US that were not detected simply because of this sexual orientation. Gay relationships can also be associated with the cases of the deteriorating mental conditions. Mental health problems are common to those people who are homosexuals and lesbians. The men and women who embrace same sex marriage are likely to experience depression than those who are not. In addition to that, happiness is not found in many of the people who are gay and lesbians for men and women respectively. The large extent of problems that this group of people face are due to the conflicts that happen at personal levels as they are relating with the other members of the same sex. In conclusion, the gay rights have many implications in the society. This is majorly because they lead to many problems, some of which have been studied in many research works. The proponents of gay rights have based their basis of advocacy for this act in terms of equal rights in the society. Indeed, this is a debate that may take a longer and a wider dimension to find a solution. Therefore, in order to assess the justification of the gay rights, there is a need to consider both aspects of the gay practice. Definitely, there is a rare situation to propose that the merits outweigh the demerits. This is based upon the negative implications that cut across the individual and the society in general. Wuthnow, Robert. 1987. Meaning and Moral Order. Berkeley: University of California Press National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). 1993. Gay and Lesbian Rights in the United States. Washington, DC: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Przeworski, Adam, and Henry Teune. 1970. The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry. New York: John Wiley. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). 1993. Gay and Lesbian Rights in the United States. Washington, DC: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Singer, Bennett L., and David Deschamps, eds. 1994. Gay and Lesbian Stats. New York: New Press Tarrow, Sidney. 1988. "National Politics and Collective Action: Recent Theory and Re- search in Western Europe and the United States." In Annual Review of Sociolog  Rates and predictors of mental illness in gay men, lesbians and bisexual men and women, British Journal of Psychiatry, (2004) 185: 479–485 "Homosexuality and Islam". religionfacts.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015. Strauss, Lehman, Litt.D., F.R.G.S. "Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective" "Homosexuality and Religion". Lillian Ladele contined [sic] to fight, and the case eventually went to the European Court of Human Rights, where, on the 15th of Jan 2013, they also found that anti-gay bigotry was not excused in the public sector, not even by domineering Christians. Read More