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

Contents:

• GAY RIGHTS THE US, STATE BY STATE
• THE RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE
• AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?
• GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

GAY RIGHTS THE US, STATE BY STATE

Send, on Tuday the Florida Senate passed a ntroversial bill, lled "Don't Say Gay" by opponents, that bans tors younger gras om talkg about sexual orientatn and genr inty the Florida and Texas makg headl for the laws, the qutn aris: Which stat have gone the oppose directn and enshred protectns for young people of different sexual orientatns or genr inti? In 1992, Colorado got labeled "The Hate State" when voters passed an amendment, later stck down as unnstutnal, that forba ci om passg anti-discrimatn laws protectg gay people. Now, the state has a gay ernor (Democrat Jared Polis) and an LGBTQ uc the state legislature, which has passed a number of pro-LGBTQ bills recent years.

Usually the laws are related to what n be discsed sex tn class; for example, Oklahoma law requir that class on AIDS preventn teach stunts to avoid “homosexual activy. Gay rights laws Ameri have evolved to allow — but some s ban — rights for gay, lbian and transgenr people on a range of issu, cludg marriage, hospal visatn, adoptn, hog, employment and school bullyg. A judge also tossed a lawsu agast Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn law — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by crics, which prohibs “classroom stctn by school personnel or third parti on sexual orientatn or genr inty” krgarten through eighth gra, “or a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards.

In 1992 Colorado enacted Amendment 2, which repealed existg state laws and barred future laws protectg lbians, gay men and bisexuals om discrimatn.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:.

THE RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE

Sodomy laws, typilly ed to jtify discrimatn agast gay people, once existed natnwi; they are now on the books only 18 stat and Puerto Ri. Vlent hate crim, such as the 1998 murr of Wyomg stunt Matthew Shepherd, pict a grisly backlash agast LGBTs or people perceived to be gay.

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.

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

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. The urt refed to do so, sence sayg that livg a home wracked wh vlence was preferable to livg wh a father who is gay and “ms sodomy.

” 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.

GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

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. The ACLU believ that sce we have attached such enormo social nsequenc to marriage, vlat equal protectn of the law to ny lbian and gay upl the right to wed.