1 Sandra Moua Mr.

Messmer Period 4 Teal 12/20/12 Gay Rights You might never know but people in the world die everyday, and most of these deaths are suicide deaths of gays and lesbians caused by something in their life like bullying. Gays have been around for many decades, and most of them keep their sexual orientation a secret from others because they are afraid that the ones they love and care about will hate them. In the olden days gays would either be killed because of their sexual orientation or shunned from the world. Gays, everyday of every week of every month of every year, has been fighting, fighting to have their own rights and protections from the government and the world. People today have now acknowledged that gays exist and support them whole heartily in any way, but not everyone changes. Gays have been tormented and bullied and when they cant take it anymore theyll commit suicide. They have been fighting since the Stonewall Movement in the 1969s, because of the onset AIDS epidemic, or even further then that. Today theyre many gays in the world who are still fighting, they are fighting for many rights; Gay Marriage/Same-sex Marriage, Gays in the Military, and Gay Adoptions. Thus you can that gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender you be allowed and granted the same rights and protections as heterosexuals. They should deserve the same rights because in the Declaration of Independence it states that one, everyone is born free and equal, and two, everyone has the right to pursuit life, liberty, and happiness. Gays shouldnt need to gain their own right for they are already in

2 the Declaration of Independence because they are human too, not some kind of alien or monster. Theyre many issues concerning gay rights that have been expressed in the world already like the Gay Liberation Movement. This movement was made during the Stonewall Movement in 1969-1980s. The onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s brought challenges to the movement when opponents used it to block further legal protections for gays and lesbians. The AIDS epidemic gave gays and lesbians a chance to fight back against their opponents and gain some rights during the confusion. So many people are for and against gay rights. Many believe that being gay is not the traditional in this country and that being gay is a disease. Those who advocate gay rights argue that all people regardless of sexual orientation deserve the same rights and protections. Those who oppose gay rights contend that a gay lifestyle undermines traditional values and institutions in the country. This topic is important in the world and needs to be solved, but because it has been around for many decades it cannot be solved just like that, everyone needs to support them even if its just a little. The first issue is Gay Marriage/Same-sex Marriage, because many gays want to marry the person they love and be together, also its because in the Declaration of Independence it states that anyone can pursuit life and happiness. There are many groups formed by gays or supporters of gays like DOMA, Defense of Marriage Act, GetEQUAL, managed by Heather Cronk, and GOProud, managed by Chairman Christopher Barron. DOMA is mainly fighting for Gay Marriages, because they want gays and lesbians to have the right to marry the same and opposite sex in and out of state. Gays want to spend times with their loved ones; they just want to be acknowledged as a couple.

3 Those who continue to oppose same-sex marriage should consider what it would be like to cross state lines with their spouse and no longer be recognized as a married couple or lose parental rights to your children. Or think of how you would feel if your community went to the polls on Election Day to vote on whether you have the right to marry."-Michelle Johnson, former editor for the Boston Globe. Only a few states allow Same-sex Marriage, and Massachusetts became the first to allow same-sex marriage, and then came San Francisco and New York. Currently, there are more than half a dozen nations that have legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, including Canada, Spain and South America. Those who support same-sex marriage say, Gays and lesbians have a right to marry and receive the same marriage and legal benefits, such as medical coverage and pension rights, as heterosexual couples. The opponents say, marriage is between and man and women. And view anything else as morally wrong. They argue that allowing homosexual couples to marry is unconstitutional and would destroy the sanctity of marriage. So many people have supported gays already and they continue to grow each year, accepting that they are humans and not someone with a disease. The second issue is Gays in the Military, because so many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals want to serve and protect their country or nation without being kicked out because they are gay. Over the years the United States has had a policy of discharging or

4 kicking out gays from the military. In the 1990s President Bill Clinton attempted to remove the ban on gays in the United States armed forces. The government didnt agree but they came to a compromise known as the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy. While the ban remained, the compromise restricted the U.S. military from engaging in efforts to discover or reveal who is gay, lesbian or bisexual in the military; it also required gay service men and women to keep their sexual orientation a secret. Even so, more than 14,000 gay men and lesbians have been discharged from military service since 1993. On December 22, 2010, after a long fight in Congress, President Barrack Obama signed into law a repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, giving gay men and lesbians the right to serve their country without hiding their sexual orientation. The topic of gays in the military remains the focus of intense debate. Opponents contend that the presence of openly homosexual soldiers in the military undermines of the trust among soldiers and can reduce the overall effectiveness of the military. Many gay serve their country and nation, so many have won medals for things. But once someone claims them as gay or lesbian they are kicked out of the armed forces and stripped of all their achievements in the armed forces. If they want to protect their loved ones then they should deserve a chance to do so without anyone kicking them out. The last issue is Gay Adoption, because gays should have the right to adopt a child with their loved one. Only a few states and countries allow this, In 2009, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to adopt. Other

5 countries that have legalized adoption by same-sex couples include, but are not limited to, the Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden. Many opponents argue that gays and lesbians cannot provide the upbringing of a traditional family and that the children raised in homes with same-sex parents will suffer but many researchers say that same-sex adoptions are needed because there are so many children waiting to be adopted and samesex couples are able to provide the children with stable homes and families. It is no better then single-parents home for most of single-parent home children turn mental, commit suicide, or turn gay or lesbian. Gays want to have parental responsibilities that go along with being legally recognized parents. Making children who have already endured abuse or neglect and the trauma of being removed from their homes wait any longer than necessary is cruel and unconscionable. Yet Florida continues to disqualify hundreds of prospective adoptive parents, simply because of their sexual orientation. -- Nan Rich, state senator (D), Weston, Florida. Making the children of the future wait on loving families that arent the traditional kind is wrong for they dont care as long as someone will love them whole heartily. The best interest is in the children right now because they are the future of the country. All these issues are difficult to solve because they have been around for decades and still havent been solved through the government or countries or nations or the world; but by doing little things we can come to a compromise or an understanding for gay rights; like supporting gays, look back on how much gays have done for us and thank them, think about if we were gay would we still have the same rights as heterosexuals

6 and would we still have/adopt children. Theyre more issues then just this one like: one issue is that some people have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separated and distinct, but in fact they are one and the same. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights and human rights are gay rights. Another issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a part of the world. Issues like these are difficult to comprehend because theyre old or arising ones created, which makes gay rights harder to fight for. But these are people who like their own sex and have been fight hard since forever; many people know that they can do it like all those other times theyve fought for their own rights. Gay issues are huge and vary widely, but by little things to help them we can achieve anything. Gays have been arrested, beaten, terrorized, and even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other was around or, too often, even join with the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driving from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm. When gays do this, denying themselves of who they are, they are driving into madness and commit suicide. But in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world with human rights. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors and teachers,

7 farmers and bakers, soldiers and athletes; and whether or not we acknowledge it, they are family, our friends, and our neighbors, they deserve better from us and from the whole world.

8 Citations Jarvis, Craig. "Suit: Allow Same-Sex Couples to Adopt in N.C." News & Observer. 13 Jun 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Dec 2012. Tavernise, Sabrina. "Adoptions Rise by Same-Sex Couples, Despite Legal Barriers." New York Times. 14 Jun 2011: A.11. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Dec 2012. Bowman, James. "Don't Change 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'." Weekly Standard Vol. 15, No. 4. 12 Oct 2009: 25. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 May 2012. Cardinal, Matthew. Executed for Being Gay. Global Information Network. 31 Aug 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 May 2012. ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Gay Liberation Movement." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 May 2012. ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Gay Adoption." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Dec 2012. ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Gays in the Military." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Dec 2012. ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Same-Sex Marriage." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Dec 2012. ProQuest Staff. "Topic Overview: Gay Rights." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Dec 2012. Sullivan, Andrew. "Why Gay Marriage Is Good for Straight America." Newsweek. 25 Jul 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 May 2012.

9 Transcript: Secretary Clinton. Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights. Humanrights.gov. 06 Dec 2011: n.p SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 17 May 2012. Zak, Dan. "Divergent Routes on the Road to Equality." Washington Post. 24 Sep 2010: C.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 May 2012.