Understanding Equal Rights by Brezina Corona;

Author:Brezina, Corona; [Brezina, Corona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group

CHAPTER 6

LGBT RIGHTS

In August 2012, musician Rufus Wainwright married Jorn Wiesbrodt in New York. The media reported on the star-studded list of attendees, the clothes worn by the happy couple, the music played during the ceremony, and the menu at the reception. Guests received jars of local plum jam. The fact that Wainwright was marrying another man was no big deal in the headlines.

The event illustrates the progress made by the gay rights movement since the late twentieth century. Throughout history, homosexuality was widely regarded as being abnormal. Gays and lesbians were subject to discrimination under the law and in their everyday lives. As recently as 1986, the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Bowers v. Hardwick upheld a state law that outlawed certain gay sexual practices. Few gays and lesbians were willing to come out of the closet, or make their sexuality publicly known. It could mean personal and professional disaster.

Today, numerous celebrities and public figures are openly gay and experience little public disapproval for their sexuality. Compared to other movements, the gay rights movement emerged recently and quickly made substantial progress. Today, it’s often referred to as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual, or LGBT, movement. Nevertheless, gays still lack significant legal rights in the United States, particularly when it comes to marriage equality and antidiscrimination laws.

The annual New York City Gay Pride March commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969. More than a million people of all sexual orientations line the streets each year to watch the parade.

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