Social Psychology: The Fight For Equal Rights

“Equal rights for lesbians and gay men may be the greatest civil rights battle of the 21st century” (Avery 2007, p. 71). Homosexual couples have been fighting a losing battle for years, and their struggle has recently taken the spotlight once again as a burning topic. Over the years, many people have come to support equal love. However, many Americans still advocate the one man-one woman institution of marriage. The fight for equal rights in general has always been a complex issue. African Americans, women, and many other minorities have had to fight for the rights that they hold today. There are many factors involved in gay activism such as support, attitudes, roles, and the implications of the movement. Social psychology takes a particular interest in gay rights and these factors in particular, as it is a current, controversial topic within American society.
The Society for Human Rights in Chicago was established in 1924, and is the earliest gay rights organization (Pearson Education 2014). Gay men and women have been battling for equality since the early 1900s, and are only now making meaningful strides toward their goal of same sex marriage. In order to understand what these men and women are fighting for, there must be an understanding of the support they are given now, versus the rights they aim for. There are a few types of relationships homosexual couples are a part of since they are unable to legally marry including, domestic partnerships and civil unions. Domestic partnership is defined as “legal or interpersonal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union” (Google 2014). Some states, including Oregon and Nevada, have create...

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... want to, and for some, that is satisfying enough.
Social psychology takes a particular interest in how people view gay rights and activism, specifically because it addresses topics such as conflict, attitudes, and social influence, which fall under social psych studies. Today, gay activism is one of the biggest social issues and in order to fully understand our social world, we must view this topic through the lenses of social psychology. The decision to accept or deny gay rights is difficult for both sides, as the arguments for each opinion are in some way justifiable. The support, attitudes, roles, and implications involved in the fight for gay rights are present topics studied by social psychologists. By studying each of these criteria social psychologists offer an objective understanding of the issue, and can contribute to the overall attitudes held by society.