...During the 1970s, the fight for equality was everywhere. Women, African Americans, gays, lesbians, Native Americans and many more groups who considered themselves “singled out” fought a enormous battle that at the time,a battle that often seemed like it would never end. In fact, some will argue the fact that we are still fighting for equality and rights for all people, today. The “feminist movement” as it was often referred to as, began in the 1960s and drug into the early 1970s. As a woman during this time, you were expected to all lead the same life, get married in your early 20s, have a few babies right away, then take care of cleaning and caring for the children for the rest of eternity. That preceding sentence, I bet has already...
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...Gay marriage is a controversial topic in society today. Most Americans do not agree with same sex marriage because of religious beliefs. What they fail to realize is that banning gay marriage will go against the United States Declaration of Independence well known phrase, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Homosexuals have nothing to do with heterosexuals. The homosexual community harms and destructs nobody and no one. That being said, people should not be so hostile against same sex marriage. Americans should have their own rights to enjoy life with their significant other, whether that being with the same sex or not. Society today should learn how to respect other peoples choice of style and preference. Marriage itself is between two people. Therefore, does it matter if it’s with the same sex? People should not be judged based off of their sexual orientation, but by the content of their character. Happiness should not be determined by others nor by the government. When viewed by others people should not see black or white, gay or straight. As a community, we...
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...The experience a person goes through effect their actions on social issues by allowing them to be brave and stand up to the problems. One example is Jason Collins, an American athlete who bravely admit his sexuality even though it was controversial in the society. He did this not for becoming the first gay male athlete but to gain support for the LGBT community, giving hope to the people who are fighting for their rights. Jason Paul Collins is an American retired professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was born on December 2, 1978, in Northridge, California and is now 38 years old. During his high school years, he had always played basketball with his twin brother, Jarron. At Stanford...
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...classics at the New York University, where she received a BA in 1969, and eased her way into philosophy while attending Harvard, where she received an MA in 1972 and PhD is 1975. In 1972 she became the first female to hold the Junior Fellowship. This allowed certain graduate students to be relieved from teaching and get on with their research. She focuses a lot of her work on the freedoms and opportunities of women and emotions. Nussbaum draws a lot of inspiration from the liberal tradition, and sides a lot with philosophers who want to extend philosophy’s reach. She holds associate appointments in classics, divinity and political science, and is also a member of the Committee on Southern Asian Studies, and a board member of the Human Rights Program. Nussbaum taught philosophy and classics at Harvard in the 1970s and early 1980s, where she was denied tenure by the Classics Department in 1982. Nussbaum then moved to Brown University, where she taught until the mid-1990. She is currently at the University of Chicago where she is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics Nussbaum has made herself a very well-known figure with her many well written books and articles. Some of her publications include The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy (1986), For Love of Country (1996) Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education, and From Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation and Constitutional Law...
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...that there was something wrong with him and he thinks he is gay, many changes happen after that with the Griffith family. Bobby family accepted that he was gay, except for his mother who believed that being a homosexual is a sin and that God could cure him. Mary tried to change Bobby by taking him to a psychiatrist, religious studies, placing bible quotes around the house, spending more time with his dad and sets him up on a date. Bobby tries everything his mother offer, it just caused more withdraw and he goes into a deep depression. Bobby moves away to Portland Oregon with his cousin, hoping one day that his mother would learn to accept him being gay. He eventually meets a guy at a bar and starts a relationship with him. Bobby kept thinking of his mother’s words and then sees his boyfriend with another man and it just pushes Bobby to the edge. Bobby eventually takes his own life (jumping off an overpass into oncoming traffic and was killed instantly). Bobby’s family received the news of his death; Mary becomes anguished over her own son’s death. She begins to go through Bobby stuff and finds his diary and sees that her son was troubled by the fact he was fighting for his mother and Gods love. Mary couldn’t reconcile her feeling of guilt over Bobby’s death. Mary reaches out to the gay community as a source for information, inspiration and consolation. She eventually goes on a long journey, becomes an advocate for the gay and lesbian community. An eventually is invited to address...
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...GAY MARRIAGE 1 Gay Marriage In The United States By: Michael White SOC. 120 PJ Rosch April 2, 2012 GAY MARRIAGE 2 America is a place where a person man or woman can be whoever they want to be. America is the only place in the world where freedom reigns everywhere in the country. But, Why is it that two men or women who love each other can not get married?. Here and now people in LGBT community are fighting for equality. They want the same right as people who are considered to be regular americans to get married. Opposing forces such as certain religous groups, and several other organizations are fighting to stop this from happening. There is an easy solution to the problem why not let people be. If America is truly a land of freedom and expression then why is same sex marriage is prohibited. HISTORY Gay Marriage is something that has been going on for centuries all around the world. Same sex marriage existed in places such as China dated as far back as the Ming Dynasty. The relationships consisted of men and women mostly women who entered into contracts with younger men and women in a fancy ceremony. These ceremonies are similar to the modern day wedding between a male and female. The first recorded gay marriage occured during the Roman Empire. This marriage was between an Emperor by the name of Elagabus and slave named Hierocles. This marriage still was not fair because in the eyes of the Roman Law, the slave Hierocles was noted as a female. Various Cultures...
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...homosexuals. Back then this rare cancer was called Gay Related Immunodeficiency Disease (GRID). Not only was this disease being sexually transmitted though gay males, but it was spreading like wildfire with little explanation of its characteristics. The Normal Heart is a film that accurately and defiantly portrays the ignorance of the American government and their lack of immediate response to this plague. It is a film that should be watched by every American, nay, every human being so that they know the kinds of cruelty this government is capable of and so that it is known world-wide the severity of this disease. AIDS. There, I said it. That wasn’t so hard. So why was it so painful for the American government to admit they had an epidemic spreading throughout the country? The answer lies in our ignorant background and lack of understanding. Being openly gay in this country often meant not holding a job, being rejecting by peers, and singled out by communities. We lacked the capacity to understand that love holds no boundaries and does not discriminate. We also lacked the capacity to understand that AIDS is a disease that also does not discriminate. After the 41 cases of this “GRID” disease were diagnosed, gay activist Ned Weeks formed the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1982. At first I held the belief that Ned Weeks was too aggressive in the way he went about handling the coverage of AIDS, but now I believe he was completely right in publicizing AIDS the way he did. He, along with...
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...States government’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy has prohibited any gay or bisexual person from revealing his or her sexual preference or from speaking about any gay relationships, including marriages or other family related attributes, while serving in the military. The (DADT) also prohibits superiors from initiating investigations of a service member's sexual preference without credible evidence of "homosexual conduct”. The policy should be repealed because the personal privacy of someone should not dictate their fighting ability or duty fulfillment as long as the job is being done correctly. According to The Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”(Jefferson, Thomas). The great thing about being in America is that a person can be whatever or whomever he or she pleases; people are supposed to be able to express themselves in any way, shape, or form. The psychological toll on gay and lesbian service members has come at a great cost; they are forced to conceal their identities and live in fear of being “outed” (Samuels 10). The only thing a person wants to do is live their life, and be treated equally. Prejudice and ignorance are two of the most disturbing problems of our society today. The way gay soldiers are treated today is no exception. Many have been forced to resign...
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...Janae Battles University Succes-103 September 17, 2015 Alli Schilling Lately, there have been a tremendous amount of discussions regarding the concept of gay marriage. In the past there has been many protest, court dates, letters to higher power, etc. just to fight for equality just as the colored folks fought for their equality and nothing was ever done about it, until decades later. The LGBTAQ+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Asexual Queer) community has been discriminated against for many decades, it’s recently that this community is starting to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel and being accepted more by society as a whole but the real fight has just begun. Back in the early 1900s people were ashamed and thought they were mentally sick because they liked the same sex or felt they were born in the wrong body. Back in those days people were still family oriented and believed men should be the provider and women should be a housewife and raise kids and that God gave you the body he wanted you to be born in. Also people at this time were still very conservative. In the early 1900’s there was not a lot of resources and technology as we have now to properly do research or properly diagnose someone with an illness. So most of the time when there was the slightest thing wrong with someone mentally, doctors would just put them in a mental facilitation. One of those mental illnesses was being homosexual, doctors brained washed people to believing that...
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...Nasreen Due to the modernizing world, a lot is changing. Same sex couples are fighting for their privileges and acceptance, rights such as same sex marriage, and benefits that straight married couple’s get. Even though same-sex marriage has recently been accepted in Washington by the Defense of Marriage Act on a Wednesday as stated in the article, right after ten in the morning, many other states in America have not yet legalized same-sex marriage. (Banco 2009). Though Washington has successfully accepted same-sex marriage, thirty-seven states still consider same sex marriage illegal (Banco 2009). Something is preventing some individuals, or states to accept same-sex marriage, and this is because of the expected framework of the society which lies upon religious and moral beliefs regarding ethnocentric fallacy. In the Article Narrative, “As Rulings Are Announced, Cheers and Tears Among Waiting Crowd”, and “Defense of Marriage Act Overturned”, Media narrative, it is now legal for same-sex marriage in Washington. After waiting for days for the Defense of Marriage Act, a decision of legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington is finally made. Even though numerous changes are adapted, many still are not. Activists are warning gay couples not to expect benefits immediately because government agencies have varied rules (Banco 2009) . Not all states will be able to receive the same rights and benefits for same sex marriage. Past moral beliefs are one of the concerns preventing...
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...Gay marriage should be legalized ? Gay marriage has been a widely debated in many countries for a long time, such as America and UK which started approving gay marriages, In 2013, homosexuals are fighting for their right to get married to someone of their same sex. There are several reasons why gay marriage should be agreed. First of all, it is a human right that every person who has the right to marry, and it is possible for everybody to show their love and affection to their beloved one. In addition, they want to marry to create a firm personal and legal foundation given by the government or the community through specific right, such as economic, taxes, and the right to make medical decisions. Furthermore, it's claimed that children who are raised by gay parents can do as well as whom by normal parents, and they are more open minded. Also, the same sex parents can raise the adoption rate. In 2010, the census revealed that a quarter of same-sex couples are raising children, with 65,000 children being adopted by homosexual partners alone. It’s better allowing theirs two moms or dads to settle down and have the job of being responsible parents Every individual person should have equal rights, the love they commit to one another must be equal as well, regardless of the sexuality,Even though to most of the traditional people think gay marriage shouldn't be legal. It's necessary to set aside from gender issues and look at this debate from a new standpoint. The tide is...
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...At the beginning of his speech, Harvey Milk tries to convince people to join his fight for gay rights. As a gay man, he describes the things that he will not tolerate anymore; he calls out, “an anti-gay smear campaign”, and explains that this is not the kind of future he wants for his community. He is tired of the silence that comes as one of the many burdens of being gay. Beginning his speech, Milk knows that there are not a lot of people on his side, therefore he wants to show that they are, “coming out to fight” and that they are, “tired of the silence”. Through these strong words of force he is showing his audience that he is passionate about fighting for gay rights, his rights; he is showing that he will not take the lies and the myths....
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...controversial topic. The issue of same sex marriages continues to change due to the very strong opinions in regards to the topic. In this paper I will touch on the past issues of same sex marriages, the current issues, the changes that are taking place, the future of this situation, as well as my opinion and the dynamics of same sex marriages. In the United States the history of same sex marriages is not very long. In 1993 because of a case in the state of Hawaii the issue of same sex marriages brought national attention to the issue. According to the article from time magazine states that “the ruling in Hawaii, in which a judge found that the state’s constitution requires a compelling reason not to extend to gays equal marriage rights”. Due to this ruling, in 1996 congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which...
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...Gay Marriage In the United States, there is social unrest regarding the government’s denial of the right to marry for homosexuals. Plenty of conservatives are completely against gay marriage; and many of liberals are fighting for equal treatment. The neo-Christian politicians are using religious arguments to establish that homosexuality is an abomination. While this may be their belief system, this country was founded on religious freedom, where the people are allowed to worship how they see fit. A ground rule, set up from the beginning, states that separation needs to be made between religion and government, so the two shall never meld to become a theocracy. With the issue of gay marriage, lines get blurred and religion rears its head to influence a government’s decision of who shall be married and who will be refused. The history of gay marriage spans decades, even centuries of undocumented ceremonies and commitments. While I would like to delve into the long history, I must stick to modern accounting of gay marriage and government’s role in this record keeping. Denmark became a trailblazing country, leading the way for the concept of registering same-sex couples in what we know as a civil union. This pioneering country voted on a law to register domestic partnership of gay couples on May 26, 1989. The law went into force on October 1, 1989. Shortly after the groundbreaking decision in Denmark, other European countries followed suit with registration for...
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...marriage/Gay marriage rights. The 6th Circuit issued the first ruling in favor of upholding laws that discriminated against same sex couple’s from a federal appellate court in the past several years (The Freedom to Marry, 2015). With all of the talk of marriage litigation and 60 rulings in favor of same sex marriage, it would seem that the country is ready for the freedom to marry for all. Quite a lot of people feel that everyone should be able to get married, and have the same rights as same sex couples despite loving someone of the same sex. In April 2015, the question of whether same-sex couples nationwide should have the right to marry will finally get to be heard in court before the U.S Supreme Court. For Years, people have one the freedom to marry from the courts of public opinion, to ballot boxes, to even the U.S Supreme Court (The Freedom to Marry, 2015). The argument of Marriage Equality raises the concern that denying marriage to same sex couples is unconstitutional and unfair which violates the American Values of freedom, liberty and respect. This argument has won over many voters, opinion leaders and courts all across the United States (The Freedom to Marry, 2015). The 6th Circuit is the first federal appellate court this year to rule against the freedom to marry. There have been several victories over the last year within the 4th, 7th and 10th Circuit. Those rulings added to nearly 40 additional wins in the state and federal court systems. In just one month gay couples...
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