After years of progrs on gay rights, how did the US bee so anti-LGBTQ+? | US news | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY RIGHTS
• AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?
• THE RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE

GAY RIGHTS

FeaturedStonewall RtsConstant Raids at Gay Bars The 1960s and precedg s were not welg tim for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) Amerins.

For such reasons, LGBT dividuals flocked to gay bars and clubs, plac of refuge where they uld exprs themselv openly and […]Read more about Stonewall Rts. Intersex people (those born wh atypil sex characteristics) suffer some of the same kds of human rights vlatns as lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr, people. “I am eply alarmed by a wispread, profoundly negative ripti created by liberate actns to roll back the human rights of LGBT people at state level, ” he said, notg that the clu eply discrimatory measur seekg to rebuild stigma agast lbian and gay persons, limg prehensive sexual and genr tn for all, and accs to genr-affirmg treatment, sports and sgle-sex facili for trans and genr diverse persons.

AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?

A rash of laws ncerng the teachg of human sexualy school curricula, banng trans stunt athlet and strippg parents of the right to help their genr-variant children obta appropriate re have popped up numero red stat this same-sex marriage is now part of the fabric of Ameri, nservativ have chosen to explo Amerins’ unfaiary wh trans people and piggyback on parental anger over the perceived overreach of Covid-era school closur, nflatg wh an sid sense of “wokens”, the hop of fdg an electorally viable sluiceway for anti-LGBTQ+ most famo of the anti-LGBTQ+ laws is the piece of Florida legislatn banng stctn on sexual orientatn or genr inty schools between krgarten and third gra, the so-lled “don’t say gay” law. The ernor and his supporters have labeled as a “groomer” anyone who believ children n learn LGBTQ+ people exist, argug that simply by talkg about gay relatnships to a child, you are sexualizg that child.

”To be gay, their view, is to be herently sexualized, a threat to nocence a way that straight Amerins are vehemence has ught even veteran LGBTQ+ advot by surprise. He was followed by Arizona’s ernor, Doug Ducey, who, after barrg mors om genr-affirmatn treatment, wouldn’t even state for the rerd that trans people were Florida lawmaker Michele Rayner-Goolsby, left, hugs her wife, Bian Goolsby, durg a march at cy hall St Petersburg agast the ‘don’t say gay’ bill. Photograph: Bob Daemmrich/Zuma Wire/Rex/ShutterstockPolicians are supported the media by mentators like Tucker Carlson, who claimed “no one had heard of this trans thg four years ago”, or Charlie Kirk, channelg 1980s fears sayg “gays want to rpt your children” rejuvenated, the right wg is poised to make transphobia and homophobia rnerston of the midterms and 2024 electns, wh promis to liver “don’t say gay” legislatn stat cludg Michigan and New Perks, the print of the Fay Rearch Council, a nservative lobbyg group, veighed agast the ernors of Indiana and Utah for vetog legislatn banng trans women om participatg sports, llg the bills “timely, mastream protectns”.

The Republin US reprentative Marjorie Taylor Greene vowed to troduce a feral “don’t say gay” bill if Republins w the Hoe this November, only to one-up herself days later by tweetg that for people to be pro-trans is to be pro-pedophilia. ”The bs-iendly wg of the GOP that would quietly team up wh Democrats to scuttle rabidly homophobic bills is now outnumbered, and legislators a dozen or more stat that lean even farther to the right than DeSantis are takg, the Natnal Center for Lbian Rights legal director, believ Florida is the tt se for a renewed ph for an aggrsive, Christian-natnalist program.

THE RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE

”The “don’t say gay” bill, Mter not, is very siar to what’s been passed Rsia, tetherg Amerin nservativ to their thorarian unterparts who have succsfully rolled back mocratic norms across eastern Europe. “I’ve seen this movie before over the last 30 years: The right wg cid to target the LGBTQ muny, whether ’s around marriage or adoptn or trans kids playg sports or bathrooms, ” says the California state senator Stt Wiener, who is gay. “I thought was really important to ph back on the policy level, and to send a clear signal that California and other stat really re about the kids, ” he believ that “don’t say gay” is “patently unnstutnal” but also ntends that relyg on the judicial system to protect human rights may no longer be a sound optn.

There are numero Indian as well as Internatnal laws to protect homosexuals, but is very shameful that not a sgle law has been executed to save them om the atroci ntuoly faced by them, except a few untri where homosexualy has been legalized.

The ACLU works to ensure that lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, & queer people belong everywhere and n live openly and thentilly whout discrimatn, harassment, or vlence. In 1992 Colorado enacted Amendment 2, which repealed existg state laws and barred future laws protectg lbians, gay men and bisexuals om discrimatn. Durg a typil “raid, ” police tried to arrt people for their mere prence at a gay bar, but the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back – and the gay rights movement was lnched.

Usg many of the grass-roots and ligatn strategi employed by other 20th century activists, gay rights advot have achieved signifint progrs:. In 1986, after more than two s of support for lbian and gay stggl, the Amerin Civil Liberti Unn tablished a natnal Lbian and Gay Rights Project.

This Amendment protects the right to anize and urge ernment to end discrimatn, to regnize lbian and gay relatnships, and to adopt laws prohibg discrimatn the private sector.

It also clus the rights to form social and polil anizatns, to socialize bars and rtrants, to march or prott peacefully, to produce art wh gay them and to speak out publicly about LGBT issu. Nothg is more important than makg schools safe and welg plac for gay and lbian youth, who often face tremendo hostily om their fay and muny durg their formative years.

This means protectg stunts om vlence, guaranteeg their right to anize events and clubs like other stunts, and makg sure that gay teachers who might serve as healthy role mols are not themselv victimized by discrimatn. The ACLU has fought harassment of stunts California, Nevada, Oh and Washgton, fend gay teachers California, Idaho and Utah, and advoted for gay stunt groups Alabama, Indiana, Mnota, Utah and Wisns.

Reprented by the ACLU’s Lbian and Gay Rights Project, Mary Jo hop to tablish that public employe have a nstutnal right to be ee om discrimatn and harassment the workplace.

” In addn to reprentg David before the Mississippi Supreme Court, the ACLU will ntue fightg on behalf of lbian and gay parents, and to elimate state sodomy laws. But somehow do not work out that way stat like Florida and Arkansas, which ban gays and lbians om adoptg and beg foster parents, rpectively. As a remr of what is supposed to be the sence of child-welfare policy, the ACLU’s Lbian and Gay Rights Project 1998 published a report entled In the Child’s Bt Intert: Defendg Fair and Sensible Adoptn Polici.

Y, twelve stat (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachetts, Mnota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, Rho Island, Vermont and Wisns), the District of Columbia, many municipali, and hundreds of bs and universi have enacted laws that protect gay, lbian and bisexual people om employment discrimatn. Perhaps as important, the polici give some small acknowledgement to the timate, mted relatnships central to the liv of so many lbians and gay men, which society otherwise ignor. Denyg lbian and gay upl the right to wed not only priv them of the social and spirual signifince of marriage; has ser, often tragic, practil nsequenc.

Sce they n not marry, the partners of lbians and gay men are not next of k tim of crisis; they are not nsulted on ccial medil cisns; they are not given leave to re for each other; they are not each other’s legal heirs, if, like most Amerins, they do not have wills.