The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

1316 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gay rights movement

When I was much younger and green to the ways of the world, I didn’t have much of an opinion when it came to my first encounter with a gay individual. I had heard of people being gay of course, but never actually met a gay person prior to that time, at least not to my knowledge. It was a girl in middle school claiming that she was only attracted to women. Two thoughts came to mind at the mention of this: 1) As I had heard time and time again from many adults, it was simply a phase and she was vying for attention and 2) lesbians were super fricken hot! Now, you have to understand, I was young, immature, and probably addicted to porn in some respect. The thought of girl on girl action was extremely appealing to me. As time went on, I realized …show more content…

The ACLU has stood up not only for the defense of our amended rights, but also for minority groups and more recently, LGBT individuals. In the 2003 case Lawrence v. Texas for instance, the ACLU proved the Supreme Court wrong on a decision regarding the rights of gay citizens. In the same year, they were also responsible for getting rid of a Texas law that made it illegal for same sex couples to be intimate, an outright and invasive attack on the privacy & rights of LGBT individuals. (1) This is only one instance in which the government (along with radical aggressors against LGBT folks) has stomped on the rights of citizens, mainly LGBT citizens. These people are often denied the same rights that ordinary Americans are allowed, posing some very important questions as to what exactly our government is doing. To openly deny a group their rights within the confines of the law is almost tyrannical, and yet, the government continues to stand tall against LGBT civil rights. We live in a modern world, where people should be able to be expressive and live any way they please. This country was founded on the ideals & principles of the people and that they hold the power to decide who determines their laws and what those laws are. Unfortunately, we find that many of the American population have an agenda against LGBT civil

Show More
Related

  • 13th Amendment Essay

    1609 Words  | 4 Pages

    Just because the amendments were in place and the government had the provisions to enforce them, the government did not. It could also be argued that just because one political party forced the amendments in to Congress, does not mean that the states have to enforce and protect the rights of all citizens. There is also the argument that the citizens actually took power away from the government because they did not agree with the new amendments. After all, there is no government if the citizens choose to ignore the laws. Either way it is looked at, for a long period of time, the states, government, and citizens got away with treating minorities how they want to treat them, which of course was to keep them

    Read More

  • Synthesis Essay: The First Amendment

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first amendment ensures us the freedom of speech. The people of this country use that to voice their opinion on issues in our society. What the average citizen doesn’t know is that their first amendment can be revoked in terms of time, place, and the manner they are exercising it. Recently there have been many protests following homicides of black males by the hands of law enforcement. We’ve seen across the country where an officer involved shooting results in violence among the community.

    Read More

  • The Second Red Scare

    2828 Words  | 6 Pages

    The McCarthy era, which generally spanned from 1947 to 1957, brought to the forefront of American politics the question of civil rights. At issue were controversies about both First Amendment rights to assembly and free speech and Fifth Amendment rights to due process and freedom from self-incrimination. Anti-Communist actions often involved restrictions on these rights, and heading the anti-Communist movement was the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). This committee, which consisted of government officials from Congress, was formed to investigate the threat of Communism in America. In doing so, the committee brought in witnesses, usually individuals thought to have, or to have had, Communist affiliations. The overzealous tendencies of HUAC, however, resulted in the use of bullying and smear tactics in its quest to expose a supposed Communist conspiracy. Coming to the defense of individuals under attack by anti-Communists was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU’s aim was to champion civil rights, regardless of the ideologies of the groups it defended. Its activities have ranged, for example, from defending the rights of Nazis to protest during the seventies to espousing the abolition of segregated schools in the South during the fifties. In the McCarthy era, the ACLU had its hands full dealing with threats to civil rights that stemmed from anti-Communism. The ACLU, however, was not without its own anti-Communistic sentiments. Indeed, within the ACLU was a cadre of anti-Communist members that made it difficult at times for the ACLU to take a strong stance for the civil liberties of suspected Communists.

    Read More

  • Individual Rights Versus Public Order

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first inception of individual rights began with the founding fathers of the United States, who had a vision in which all citizens would have the right to live in this country without being discriminated based on race, gender, religion, or sexual preference (US Constitution, 2010). These are basic human rights for which many people lost their lives to protect as this country was formed. Nonetheless, today one lives in a society in which one must fight to continue to posses those rights once again. Similar to the rest of history, when there have many examples of individual rights were not protected.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Editorial ' A Case Of Discrimination '

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    The editorial “A Case of Discrimination” published in the New York Times claims the Supreme Court should rule in favor of Hastings College of Law over the student group Christian Legal Society. The authors state the college has always had a non-discrimination policy that applied to all student groups and required them not to discriminate to receive official recognition from the college. They argue that Christian Legal Society had previously adhered to this policy and then in 2004 began to ask members to sign a statement of faith. Due to this, Hastings College of Law derecognized the student group and they sued claiming a denial of their First Amendment rights. Hastings College of Law wrote their policy to conform to California state law, which makes it illegal for state funded post-secondary educational institutions to discriminate based on religion or sexual orientation. Therefore, Hastings College of Law decided it was illegal for their student groups to discriminate as well. The Ninth Circuit decided in favor of Hastings College of Law declaring their rules viewpoint neutral and reasonable (1). Although the claim appears logical, actual evidence in support of their argument is difficult to find. Thus, their conclusion is probably false, because a decision in favor of Hastings College of Law denies their student groups their First Amendment rights and ignores years of legal precedent.

    Read More

  • The American Civil Liberties Union

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    go to the police, or maybe to the government? What if the police and government

    Read More

  • Public Defenders

    2207 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the United States, the adversarial system of justice relies on ensuring a criminal defendant receives a fair trial. The sixth amendment gives defendants the right to legal representation in criminal trials even if they cannot afford one themselves. Each city and county in the United States ensures a defendant the right to counsel. There are different ways cities and counties across the United States provide representation for indigent defendants. One such approach to indigent defense is public defender programs and is a popular system used by many states today. Public defender programs have been around since the 1900’s but gained popularity throughout the years due to the many indigent defense cases.

    Read More

  • Civil Liberties and Rights

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although America has come really far when it comes to the civil liberties and rights of its citizens, there is still a lot of room for improvement. We have yet to achieve the goals expressed by the Constitution because there continues to be several cases brought to court of people’s rights being taken from them and many more where people are being discriminated against. Once a person is settled into a certain lifestyle it is difficult to change their mindsets. True civil rights and liberties will only come once America and the citizens that reside within change the way that they see the world, and realize that everyone was created equal with certain undeniable rights – the way it was intended to be.

    Read More

  • Civil Liberties Union Pros And Cons

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Civil Liberties Union appeared as a reaction to the excess of the Palmer Raids in 1918 after authorities arbitrarily arrested over six thousand people. Roger Baldwin and others founded the National Civil Liberties Bureau which became the ACLU in 1920. Its mission is to preserve constitutional rights and to continue to conserve America's original civic values.

    Read More

  • Transgender Rights in America

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    Humans have established their own rights in society for many, many years now. However, because some humans differ from the norms that are built in society, they are shunned and denied their rights until they conform to society’s norms. There have been numerous groups of people who have been denied their rights in America. African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans, and gays have been isolated simply because that is the way they were born into this world and others do not find them “normal”. There is another group that has also been mistreated though: people who identify themselves as transgender.

    Read More

  • Homosexuality: Greco-Roman Period to Today

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homosexuality, the sexual attraction between members of the same sex, is a term not coined until the late nineteenth century; however, its prevalence throughout Western history is apparent and cannot be ignored. Some of the earliest accounts of homosexual relationships date back to 700 BCE in Ancient Greece. Spanning from that period up to today, the history of the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) minority is one that is commonly overlooked. Only by analyzing the historical records of homosexuality can one fully understand the widespread GLBT movement of the current era.

    Read More

  • Should Court Enforce Constitutionality?

    483 Words  | 1 Pages

    As an individual’s lawfulness decreases, so does their right to privacy, which is a point of contest in our country. When it comes to issues such a LGBTQA rights, one’s personal and private right to believe that same sex relations are “wrong”, does not protect them from disobeying discrimination laws. The protection of privacy rights doesn’t allow an individual to interfere with another’s own privacy rights. Once a person’s actions do interfere, they should be considered unconstitutional and the courts should pursue their own course of action in order to protect the Bill of Rights and the constituents it’s meant to

    Read More

  • Freedom Of Speech Should be Limited

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    The entire American Government is based in the belief that all human beings are born with certain rights. People do not receive their rights from the Government; its function is actually to guard the rights we already have. Citizens are protected by the first amendment, which prohibits government from acting against anyone's rights.

    Read More

  • gay literature

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the face of a homophobic society we need creative and critical processes that draw out the complexity of lesbian lives and same sex choices, not a retreat into the comforting myths of heroines and unfractured, impeachable identities

    Read More

  • HOmosexualty

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Mom, I am gay. I’ve felt this way about women for a long time. I was very afraid to tell you. I’m scared. Maybe it’s a phase. Will I go to hell for it? I’m not sure right now but I choose to be with the same sex.” said I. This day changed my life. I remember it like it was yesterday. I felt very confused for a couple of months then it all came clear. I had a few friends and family member who came out to me. A lot of us homosexuals were scared just like me because of the religious aspect of it. Most of homosexuals thought we were going to hell. I had a lot of friends who felt that way from birth. It just really made me wonder could I go to hell for liking the same sex. Have I been this way since birth? Can I change it?

    Read More

More about The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Open Document