The history and outlook on the community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transexuals in America is a long, twisting road. Everyone, now and before now, has had their own opinions about the community even before they joined together as a united front of people with different sexualities than the majority of others. Throughout history, they have overcome laws and teachings against them. The growth of the LGBT community has given confidence, acceptance, hope, safety, and freedom to a significant amount of Americans with varying sexualities. Firstly, the LGBT community has had many forms of hardships brought against them and, before they overcame them, they had to endure them. Throughout the 17th century in America, men and women were …show more content…
A committee led by Thomas Jefferson worked on Bill 64 in 1777 that rewrote Virginian laws. This piece of legislation made sodomy, the law that criminalized homosexuality, punishable by mutilation instead of death. A medical article in the 1910s blamed the women’s suffrage movement on the women’s “repressed homosexually”. The United States government in 1917 passed an immigration law prohibiting “persons with abnormal sexual of instincts”. To add insult to injury, “persons with abnormal sexual of instincts” were grouped with psychopaths and inferiors, meaning that the government deemed it psychotic or inferior to be homosexual. This reflected the outlook on homosexual people at the time; they were seen as inferior to heterosexuals mentally and physically. The military and the government did not allow homosexuals to work for
In Vicki L. Eaklor’s Queer America, the experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people in the years since the 1970s gay liberation movement are described as a time of transformation and growth. The antigay movement, threatened, now more than ever, created numerous challenges and obstacles that are still prevalent today. Many of the important changes made associated with the movement were introduced through queer and queer allied individuals and groups involved in politics. Small victories such as the revision of the anti discrimination statement to include “sexual orientation”, new propositions regarding the Equal Rights Amendment and legalized abortion, were met in turn with growing animosity and resistance from individuals and groups opposed to liberal and
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
"You robbed me of something very precious and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life and may you thank Matthew every day for it." Those were the words said by Dennis Shepard at the sentencing of Aaron McKinney, one of the men who tortured, robbed, and murdered his son Matthew Shepard. He was given a life sentence. States must inflict a harsher punishment for people who commit gay violence crimes because over the years hate crimes based on sexual orientation have become the third highest category reported.
...dentity. Only 17 states allow gay couples to adopt. LGBTQ youth face many struggles. Many LGBTQ students do not have the support they need and are four times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual youth according to a survey done in 2006. Organizations have been created to support LGBTQ youth and the struggles they face. Since the Stonewall riots in 1969, the gay community has come a long way since, but there are still many obstacles to overcome.
As generations proceeded, institutions such as the American Psychiatric Society began to classify homosexuality as a disease, which was later retracted in the 1970’s and was no longer considered a mental disorder. At this time many homosexuals decided to start “coming out”, a process in which people talk freely about their sexual orientation to family and friends. Then in the1980’s new adversary for the gay community became the forefront of debates worldwide. The AIDS crisis, which seemed to be only contracted in the gay male population, paved the way for brutalizing words such as “queer” that was used to describe all sexual minorities. In the 1990’s where the gay rights movement saw more victories with the United States military instituting the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” This policy gave homosexuals the right to serve within the military. Then in the year 2000, Vermont became the first state to allow same sex civil unions (Pitas).
The number of gays and lesbians in the U.S. is estimated to be approximately 8.8 million (randomhistory.com) About thirty-three percent of Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender commit suicide each year. At least fifty-two percent self-harm (dosomethinng.com). Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender are mistreated and misunderstood. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender are treated inhumanely which causes them to go into a deep depression, self-harm, or even commit suicide. LGBT are humans, not just some creature from another world (personal).
Note: This paper has a very long Annotated Bibliography. In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms.
Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind do not matter and those who matter do not mind.” Dr. Seuss meant that one should be his or herself regardless of others’ opinions. The Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender community (LGBT) is treated similarly to the African American community during the mid 1800s. They are both treated and viewed differently than everyone else. Luckily, there are laws to prevent the discrimination. However, discrimination in the United States has never gone away and will always be problematic.
In the past, these societies had roles for LGBT persons that allowed acceptance, and in our global society where Abrahamic religions are widely influential, we can draw back on our ancient histories to create an environment where LGBT persons are accepted while continuing to have a religious and spiritual society.
Something that is considered taboo in today’s world is being gay. In many countries it is illegal, and in some countries, being gay can even land you a death wish. However, my specific focus is in the southern United States. The southern part of the United States is considered the bible belt. The place of Christianity and conservatism. Being gay in the south is a hard thing to have to experience, because there are so many people in the south who do not agree with homosexuality. There are many areas in the south in which some gay people are scared to walk hand in hand, because there are many homophobic people who will quickly voice their opinions of two men holding hands.
The LGBT community both supports and challenges this assumption. While the LGBT community provides support and help to those who may be in need, it doesn 't contribute to any of the basic needs to survive. The LGBT community itself doesn 't provide food, water, shelter etc. Although, the LGBT community does provide a safe place to express yourself and find assistance in times of crisis, which many LGBT people would describe as a necessity in their lives. Countless organizations are available with the purpose of serving LGBT people who may be suffering, physically, mentally, or emotionally. One of the many goals of the LGBT community is to celebrate individuality, diversity, and sexuality. The LGBT does serve these needs, as it provides a place where gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people can be apologetically
An issue that has, in recent years, begun to increase in arguments, is the acceptability of homosexuality in society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, it was considered a secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society. However, it seems that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples. The idea of coming out of the closet has moved to the head of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception.
This is why is so important to reduce the general effects of stigma and discrimination against the LGBT community, one ways is to create a fully legal and social support from the government and society, in the end all the LGBT community want is to be treated equal, respectfully and to have the opportunity
dThe treatment of the LGBT community in American society is a true social injustice. LGBT, or the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, community has gone through many hardships whether it’s been being harassed, denied
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.