Gay Rights(Homosexual discrimination)

I'm a high school senior and at my school we have something called a senior project. This project is an research paper and presentation/blog on a controversial topic that we feel strongly about and this is mine. Now the paper was 7 pages so this is quiet a short summery, but I am sorry if it is long. Please leave comments, thanks.


Land of the free? Not for homosexuals. Their discrimination goes from being bullied in school all the way to having civil rights taken away. Women and African Americans complain about the discrimination they or their ancestors had to deal with but at least it’s as bad now. Unlike the homosexual community who can’t turn their backs without being judge. Homosexuals don’t have the right to wed, are accused of being child molesters, are they can't serve our country, and their badgered by religion

The first main discrimination is that a homosexual couple can’t wed in all states. Out of the U.S.’s 50 states only four states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage. They are Massachusetts 2004, Connecticut 2008, Iowa 2009, Vermont 2009, New Hampshire 2009 vote/ 2010 enactment. New Jersey may not recognize same-sex marriage however they do recognize civil unions. “Two states, Maine and California, had recognized marriage equality at one point, but passed ballot initiatives rescinding marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. On the flip side, thirty states have passed constitutional amendments or laws explicitly banning same-sex marriage.

Another thing that homosexuals deal with is being called child molesters. This is absolutely absurd. These rumors can make it hard for homosexual couples to raise or even get to have children. Think about the homosexual children too, hearing this around school can make them more self conscious then they already are. It can also make it harder for homosexuals to get jobs that involve working with children. This argument was often made in debates about the Boy Scouts of America's policy to exclude gay scouts and scoutmasters. Some also believe that homosexual teachers shouldn’t be allowed. In a 1970 national survey, more than 70% of respondents agreed with the assertions that "Homosexuals are dangerous as teachers or youth leaders because they try to get sexually involved with children" or that "Homosexuals try to play sexually with children if they cannot get an adult partner." By contrast, in a 1999 national poll, the belief that most gay men are likely to molest or abuse children was endorsed by only 19% of heterosexual men and 10% of heterosexual women. Even fewer " 9% of men and 6% of women " regarded most lesbians as child molesters. Consistent with these findings, Gallup polls have found that an increasing number of Americans would allow gay people to be elementary school teachers. For example, the proportion was 54% in 2005, compared to 27% in 1977.

The military is a source of employment for many Americans. Being openly homosexual is not an option though. Don’t ask don’t tell prevents the military to use it as a qualification but if it is found and proven that you are homosexual you can be discharged. Twenty-four countries [not including the U.S.] currently allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, according to the Service Members Legal Defense Network. Of these twenty-four countries, twenty-two are part of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan " meaning that openly gay and lesbian soldiers from Allied Forces are serving alongside U.S. troops, despite the continued U.S. ban. In July, more than 50 retired U.S. Generals and Admirals released a statement calling on the U.S. Congress to repeal the ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers serving in the military, the largest number of military officials calling for a ban to date. To date, the U.S. has discharged over 11,000 service members for being gay or lesbian.

One of the biggest arguments against homosexual rights is religion. In a country with the freedom of religion this shouldn’t even be an issue. In this country we have the option to study no religion at all. We also have all kinds of religions in this country so why go by what most Christians think is wrong other religions might be fine with it. Native Americans considered homosexuals as special beings who embodied both the masculine and the feminine, and often looked to them as shamans. The most confusing thing is some churches of the same religion believe in gay rights and others don’t. A Baptist minister named Rick Brentlinger wrote a book the book was called Gay Christian 101. Brentlinger also has his own web site and one of the things one it says "GLBT Christian - you are a wonderful part of God's Creative Plan. You are NOT a freak of nature. You are not an accident. God loves you, John 3:16, and according to Jesus, God intends some of His children to be born gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered, Matthew 19:12. GLBT people are not the result of a sinful personal choice nor are we the result of the fall of Adam. As the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch demonstrates, GLBT people are as much a part of God’s Redemptive plan as everyone else.”


Works Cited
• "The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline." infoplease. Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html>.
• "11 Facts About Gay Rights." dosomething.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-gay-rights>.
• Herek, FirstGregory. "Facts About Homosexuality and Child Molestation." Sexual Orientation: Science, Education, and Policy. Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D. , n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html>.
• Jones, Michael. "A Few Statistics on LGBT Issues." change.org. change.org, 05 Oct 2008. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/a_few_statistics_on_lgbt_issues>.
• "Rick Brentlinger." gaychurch.org. gaychurch.org, n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.gaychurch.org/Book_store/by_author/brentlinger_rick.htm>.
• "Sally Kern - Gays Not Welcome in Oklahoma." gogirlfriend. gogirlfriend, 10 Mar 2008. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.gogirlfriend.com/travel-news/sally-kern-gays-not-welcome-oklahoma-8420>.
• Jones, Michael. "Iowa Lawmaker Says Gay Families Shouldn't Go Camping." change.org. change.org, 07 May 2010. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/iowa_lawmaker_says_gay_families_shouldnt_go_camping>.