Human and legal rights

The LGBT community represents a social component of the global community that is believed by many,
including heterosexual allies, to be underrepresented in the area of civil rights. The current struggle of the
gay community has been largely brought about by globalization. In the United States, World War
IIbrought together many closeted rural men from around the nation and exposed them to more
progressive attitudes in parts of Europe. Upon returning home after the war, many of these men decided
to band together in cities rather than return to their small towns. Fledgling communities would soon
become political in the beginning of the gay rights movement, including monumental incidents at places
like Stonewall. Today, many large cities have gay and lesbian community centers. Many universities and
colleges across the world have support centers for LGBT students. The Human Rights Campaign,
[2]

Lambda Legal, the Empowering Spirits Foundation,[3][4] and GLAAD[5] advocate for LGBT people on a

wide range of issues in the United States. There is also anInternational Lesbian and Gay Association. In
1947, when the United Kingdom adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), LGBT
activists clung to its concept of equal, inalienable rights for all people, regardless of their race, gender, or
sexual orientation. The declaration does not specifically mention gay rights, but discusses equality and
freedom from discrimination.[6]

Same-sex marriage
In parts of the world partnership rights or marriage have been extended to same-sex couples. Advocates
of same-sex marriage cite a range of benefits that are denied to people who cannot marry, including
immigration, health care, inheritance and property rights, and other family obligations and protections, as
reasons why marriage should be extended to same-sex couples. Opponents of same-sex marriage
within the gay community argue that fighting to achieve these benefits by means of extending marriage
rights to same-sex couples privatizes benefits (e.g., health care) that should be made available to people
regardless of their relationship status. They further argue that the same-sex marriage movement within
the gay community discriminates against families that are composed of three or more intimate partners.
Opposition to the same-sex marriage movement from within the gay community should not be confused
with opposition from outside that community.

Discrimination and mental health

In

2001

study

that

examined

disorders in lesbian, gay and bisexual people,

Cochran

possible
and

root

psychologist

causes
Vickie

M.

of mental
Mays,

of

the University of California, explored whether ongoing discrimination fuels anxiety, depression and other

stress-related mental health problems among LGB people. [13] The authors found strong evidence of a
relationship between the two. [13] The team compared how 74 LGB and 2,844 heterosexual respondents
rated lifetime and daily experiences with discrimination such as not being hired for a job or being denied
a bank loan, as well as feelings of perceived discrimination. [13] LGB respondents reported higher rates of
perceived discrimination than heterosexuals in every category related to discrimination, the team found.
[13]

According to the Journal of Addiction and Mental Health, around 600 people between the ages of 10

and 24 die each year from suicide and about 32% of these people are lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LAB)
youth. "[14] However, while gay youth are considered to be at higher risk for suicide, a literature review
published in the journal Adolescence states, "Being gay in-and-of-itself is not the cause of the increase in
suicide." Rather the review notes that the findings of previous studies suggested the,"...suicide attempts
were significantly associated with psychosocial stressors, including gender nonconformity, early
awareness of being gay, victimization, lack of support, school dropout, family problems, acquaintances'
suicide attempts, homelessness, substance abuse, and other psychiatric disorders. Some of these
stressors are also experienced by heterosexual adolescents, but they have been shown to be more
prevalent among gay adolescents.

Recognition of same-sex couples

On 7 February 2007, the Colombian Constitutional Court extended common-law
marriage property and inheritance rights to same-sex couples, [6][7] thanks to the
constitutional action presented by the public interest law group of the Universidad
de los Andes against the Ley 54. The decision did not include pension or social
security (health insurance) rights. In a second ruling of 5 October 2007 the
Constitutional court extended social security (health insurance) benefits to
same sex couples, and on a ruling of 17 April 2008 pension rights were
extended. With these three rulings same-sex couples in Colombia now enjoy
the main benefits as heterosexual couples under the same terms. These three
rulings by the Constitutional Court replace the defeated Civil Union Law that fell
in the Congress. On 19 June 2007, a gay rights bill, treating unregistered samesex partners the same as unregistered opposite-sex partners, was defeated in
the Congress of Colombia. Slightly different versions of the bill passed in each house
of the legislature, and President lvaro Uribe indicated he would support it. A
compromise bill then passed one house but failed in the other.
The bill was defeated by a bloc of conservative senators. The bill, which had
been endorsed by President lvaro Uribe, would have made Colombia the first
nation in Latin America to grant gay couples in long-term relationships the same
rights to health insurance, inheritance and social security as heterosexual
couples. However, with the rulings of the Constitutional Court same-sex
couples today enjoy the same rights that this failed bill would have given them.
In July 2011, Constitutional Court rules in a historic decision, that same-sex
couples have the right to marry in Colombia. The Colombian Congress must

create an equivalent of marriage for gay couples by June 20, 2013, or else
couples will automatically gain the right to go to any judge or notary public to
formalize their union, according to the ruling. [11]
According to a report in the Washington Post, "Bogota has a thriving gay
neighborhood, bars whose patrons are openly gay and a center that provides
counseling and legal advice to members of the gay community. Local
politicians, among them Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzn and prominent members
of Congress such as Senator Armando Benedetti, have supported the drive to
give more rights to gay couples . . . but violence against gays is not uncommon
and discrimination remains a recurring problem.
Symbols. One of the oldest of these symbols is the pink triangle, which originated
from the Nazi concentration camp badges that male homosexuals were required to
wear on their clothing.[1] Many of the estimated 515,000 gays and lesbians
imprisoned in concentration camps died alongside the 6,000,000 Jews whom the
Nazis killed during The Holocaust.[2] For this reason, the Pink Triangle is used as an
identification symbol and as a memento to remind both its wearers and the
general public of the atrocities that gays suffered under Nazi persecutors.
Pink Triangle

Black Triangle

Pink & Yellow

Triangles

Nazi Chart

The black triangle was used to

A chart, circa 19381942, of
The pink triangle was

mark "asocial" and "workshy"

The pink triangle overlapping

originally used to denote

individuals,

a yellow triangle was used to

homosexual men as a Nazi

including prostitutes, Romaand

tag Jewishhomosexuals in

concentration camp badge.

others in the camps. It has been

Nazi concentration camps.

prisoner markings used in

German concentration camps.
The 5th column from the left
was for homosexual men.
adapted as a lesbian symbol.