11 Facts About Gay Rights |

Contents:

• US SUPREME URT CISN PAV WAY FOR SWEEPG EXPANSN OF GAY RIGHTS
• GAY RIGHTS
• THE SUPREME COURT RULGS THAT HAVE SHAPED GAY RIGHTS AMERI
• WHAT’S NEXT FOR GAY RIGHTS 2014?YEAR AHEADTHE YEAR 2013 WAS A BANNER ONE FOR GAY MARRIAGE—BUT SOME LGBT ACTIVISTS ARE ASKG WHETHER THE MOVEMENT IS HEAD DOWN THE PATH TO TE EQUALY AND LIBERATN. SALLY KOHNUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 1:06PM EDT / PUBLISHED JAN. 01, 2014 5:45AM EST MAR TAMA/GETTY,MAR TAMA“ON ONE LEVEL, OUR MOVEMENT HAS BEEN A STAGGERG, IF NTROVERSIAL, SUCCS; YET ON ANOTHER LEVEL, GAY AND LBIAN PEOPLE REMA PROFOUNDLY STIGMATIZED, STGGLG AGAST THE SAME CRIS— HEALTH, VLENCE, DISCRIMATN AND SOCIAL SERVIC—THAT HAVE PLAGUED FOR S.”THE WORDS WERE WRTEN NOT 2013 BUT 1995, VIRTUAL EQUALY: THE MASTREAMG OF GAY AND LBIAN LIBERATN, A SEMAL TEXT BY PROMENT ACTIVIST AND TELLECTUAL URVASHI VAID. BUT THE WORDS RG TE TODAY. HERE WE ARE, ENDG WHAT SOME ARE LLG “THE GREATT YEAR GAY RIGHTS”—AND YEAH, ’S BEEN A BIG YEAR OM THE UNPRECENTED LEGAL BREAKTHROUGHS, PECIALLY MARRIAGE EQUALY, TO THE CULTURAL MARKERS OF MORE AND MORE CELEBRI AND SPORTS FIGUR G OUT OF THE CLOSET. AND YET ’S NOT JT THAT CLARG VICTORY THE CULTURE WAR, OR EVEN SKIRMISH, FEELS PREMATURE—AS THOUGH MIMIZG THE ENDURG AND FECT FLUENCE OF THE RIGHT-WG BACKLASH. EVEN MORE, WH 2013 OVER, WE SHOULD ASK WHETHER ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR—AND THE PATH ON WHICH THE LGBT MOVEMENT IS HEAD—ED ADD UP TO TE EQUALY AND LIBERATN. REGARDG THE STRATEGI OF THE GAY MOVEMENT, WHAT VAID WROTE THEN APPLI NOW:“WE N CHOOSE THIS MOMENT TO FOLLOW THE PATH OUR PRECSORS PAVED—OF PURSUG CREMENTAL LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM, CREASG GAY AND LBIAN VISIBILY, PRSG FOR FAIR TREATMENT ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE. THIS WORK, OF SECURG AND BROANG CIVIL EQUALY, IS SELF A LIFETIME’S WORK, WHICH THERE IS ED VERY LTLE CHOICE; ALL OF WHO SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS MT ENGAGE . BUT WE DO HAVE THE CHOICE OF REACHG BEYOND THE CIVIL RIGHTS AMEWORK OF MASTREAM TEGRATN, AND BEYOND THE PARTIAL EQUALY THAT LIVERS, TO IMAGE AND CREATE A DIFFERENT MOVEMENT WHOSE GOAL IS GENUE SOCIAL CHANGE.” VAID GO ON TO ASK, “HOW DO A EEDOM-BASED MOVEMENT DIFFER OM A RIGHTS-BASED MOVEMENT?”IN 2006, AS THE “MARRIAGE EQUALY” MOVEMENT WAS GAG STEAM WH THE LGBT ACTIVIST MUNY, DOZENS OF PROMENT GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR ACTIVISTS SIGNED A STATEMENT LLED “BEYOND SAME SEX MARRIAGE” (PDF)—OUTLG AN AGENDA THAT WOULD EXPAND FAY POLICY AMERI TO CLU GAY UPL AS WELL AS OTHER “NON-TRADNAL FAI” RATHER THAN SIMPLY SHOE-HORNG GAY FOLKS TO THE EXISTG STCTUR (AND STRICTUR) OF HETERO-NORMATIVE MARRIAGE. CENS DATA WERE ALREADY SHOWG THAT THE MAJORY OF AMERIN FAI WERE NO LONGER FTG THE TRADNAL, NUCLEAR MOLD. TODAY, FOUR OUT OF FIVE FAI FALL OUTSI THAT DATED NSTCT. THE “BEYOND SAME SEX MARRIAGE” STATEMENT READ, “TO HAVE OUR ERNMENT FE AS “LEGIMATE FAI” ONLY THOSE HOEHOLDS WH UPL NJUGAL RELATNSHIPS DO A TREMENDO DISSERVICE TO THE MANY OTHER WAYS WHICH PEOPLE ACTUALLY NSTCT THEIR FAI, KSHIP WORKS, HOEHOLDS, AND RELATNSHIPS.” TO THE MASTREAM GAY-RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ASSURG THAT THEY REALLY JT WANTED TO STRENGTHEN NVENTNAL MARRIAGE, THIS LIBERATNIST WG HELD UP A DIFFERENT VISN—OF DISMANTLG CIVIL MARRIAGE AS WE KNOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORN FAY NEEDS. (AND LT THIS SEEM LIKE SUCH A RADIL AND UNTENABLE POLIL AGENDA, NSERVATIV SUCH AS GLENN BECK AND LIBERTARIANS LIKE RAND PL SUPPORT GETTG ERNMENT OUT OF THE MARRIAGE BS.) PERSONALLY, SPE THE GROUNDSWELL MOVEMENT AS WELL AS PRSURE OM MY MOM AND, NOW, EVEN MY FIVE-YEAR-OLD DGHTER, I’VE NEVER BEEN BIG ON MARRIAGE. SURE, I BELIEVE GAY FOLKS WHO WANT TO GET MARRIED WH THE CURRENT NF SHOULD OF URSE HAVE THAT RIGHT. BUT AS A LBIAN ACTIVIST, I ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS FIGHTG FOR THE RIGHT TO BE DIFFERENT OM STRAIGHT FOLKS, NOT THE SAME—THAT THE QUT OF LIBERATN MEANT THAT I SHOULD HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AND TREATMENT REGARDLS OF THOSE DIFFERENC, RATHER THAN ACCSG BASIC RIGHTS AND EQUALY ONLY IF I NFORMED TO A HETEROSEXUAL NORM. IN OTHER WORDS, MY FAY SHOULD BE REGNIZED AND RPECTED WHETHER MY PARTNER AND I GET MARRIED OR NOT. THAT, TO ME, IS THE SENCE OF THE SORT OF “EEDOM-BASED MOVEMENT” THAT VAID (WHOM, I SHOULD NOTE, IS ONE OF MY MOST IMPORTANT POLIL MENTORS AND IENDS) ENVISNED. NOW PERHAPS THE MORE TERTG QUTN AT THIS JUNCTURE IS WHETHER THE ATTAMENT OF HETERO-NORMATIVE RIGHTS LEADS TO HOMO-LIBERATN AND SOCIAL JTICE MORE BROADLY. ON THE ONE HAND, ENDG BANS ON GAY FOLKS THE ARY IS ARGUABLY A FORM OF -OPTATN THAT SERV TO RERCE A ARY-POLICE DTRIAL PLEX THAT HAS HISTORILLY BEEN HOSTILE TOWARD “VIANT” SEXUALY AS OTHER FORMS OF DIFFERENCE, AS EVINT WH RAMPANT STOP-AND-ISK PRACTIC AGAST MUNI OF LOR TODAY. ON THE OTHER HAND, DO THE LOVABLE MASTREAM ELLEN DEGENER BEG ON TELEVISN MAKE POSSIBLE FOR THE TRANS ACTRS LAVERNE COX TO BE ON TELEVISN? ARGUABLY. AND ARGUABLY BOTH MAKE EASIER FOR LGBT FOLKS ACROSS THE UNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD TO EXPRS THEIR INTI AND THEIR SIR. BUT MORE BROADLY, AT THE SAME TIME THAT LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS HAD S BANNER YEAR AMERI, ENOMIC EQUALY REACHED RERD HIGHS, THE SUPREME COURT GUTTED VOTG RIGHTS AND THREW AFFIRMATIVE ACTN TO QUTN, AND DOZENS OF STATE AND FERAL LAWS WERE PHED TO RTRICT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE EEDOM. IN THIS SENSE, WOULD APPEAR THAT THE RISG TI OF LGBT EQUALY IS NOT LIFTG THE ENTIRE BOAT OF JTICE. THAT SHOULD GIVE ALL PSE. I DON’T MEAN TO BE A PARTY POOPER. WE SHOULD CERTALY CELEBRATE THE GREAT LEAPS FORWARD FOR GAY RIGHTS 2013, MARRIAGE EQUALY BUT ALSO WH CULTURAL MARKERS AND PECIALLY POLLS SHOWG THAT THE PUBLIC IS BEG MORE ACCEPTG. BUT 2014, WE MT REVIS THE GUIDG PHILOSOPHY OF THE GAY MOVEMENT AND WHETHER OUR STRATEGI AND TACTICS ARE PURSUG LIBERATN FOR ALL—GAY AND STRAIGHT, BLACK WHE AND BROWN, WOMEN AND MEN AND TRANS—OR MERELY SOME. THIS BATE, MORE VIBRANT S PAST, IS URGENT NEED OF REVIVAL. IF 2013 WAS THE YEAR THAT AMERINS OF ALL STRIP AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS JOED THE REENG BANDWAGON FOR GAY RIGHTS, MAY 2014 BE THE YEAR WHICH THE LGBT MOVEMENT RETURNS THE FAVOR WH A VISN OF LIBERATN FOR ALL. SALLY KOHN
• GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• “GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS”: THE FRAMG OF NEW INTERPRETATNS OF INTERNATNAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS

US SUPREME URT CISN PAV WAY FOR SWEEPG EXPANSN OF GAY RIGHTS

A civil unn bill that will allow gay upl to adopt is beg discsed the Parliament tomorrowDecember 22Conversn therapy be December 22, 2014, the Conversn Therapy for Mors Prohibn Amendment Act was signed to law, banng nversn therapy on mors. "November 8Same-sex marriage be var referendums that asked the Fnish public on gay marriage, they fally cleared the last referendum the 22nd of Febary, and gay marriage was fally allowed sce this date.

GAY RIGHTS

September 10Homosexual activy be illegal (up to life prison as punishment) 2014 the Crimal Co was updated to allow sentenc of up life imprisonment for "aggrevated homosexualy" discrimatn be illegal some stanc of discrimatns agast LGBT dividuals are illegal. However, homosexual nduct is still explicly illegal and is punishable by 18Same-sex adoptn be September 8, marriage be ban on same sex marriage was stck down by a 2-1 vote on July 23rd, 2014.

The Constutnal Court stated that llg homosexuals "viants" or "perverts" nstut hate 1LGBT discrimatn be have a Constunal ban on all discrimatnSame-sex marriage be marriage celebrated via judicial proceedgs / urt 26LGBT hog discrimatn be sexual orientatn employment discrimatn be sexual orientatn discrimatn be illegal some sexual orientatnJune 20LGBT hog discrimatn be sexual orientatn employment discrimatn be sexual orientatn discrimatn be illegal some sexual orientatnJune 18Same-sex marriage be 3Same-sex marriage be beg a part of the June 2Same-sex marriage be civil unns sce June 2nd 2014, but stable unns sce 2005May 21LGBT hog discrimatn be sexual orientatn only.

THE SUPREME COURT RULGS THAT HAVE SHAPED GAY RIGHTS AMERI

Earlier referred to ternatnally as the "Kill the Gays" bill when first proposed on October 13, 2009, life imprisonment was substuted for the ath penalty followg ternatnal prsure.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR GAY RIGHTS 2014?YEAR AHEADTHE YEAR 2013 WAS A BANNER ONE FOR GAY MARRIAGE—BUT SOME LGBT ACTIVISTS ARE ASKG WHETHER THE MOVEMENT IS HEAD DOWN THE PATH TO TE EQUALY AND LIBERATN. SALLY KOHNUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 1:06PM EDT / PUBLISHED JAN. 01, 2014 5:45AM EST MAR TAMA/GETTY,MAR TAMA“ON ONE LEVEL, OUR MOVEMENT HAS BEEN A STAGGERG, IF NTROVERSIAL, SUCCS; YET ON ANOTHER LEVEL, GAY AND LBIAN PEOPLE REMA PROFOUNDLY STIGMATIZED, STGGLG AGAST THE SAME CRIS— HEALTH, VLENCE, DISCRIMATN AND SOCIAL SERVIC—THAT HAVE PLAGUED FOR S.”THE WORDS WERE WRTEN NOT 2013 BUT 1995, VIRTUAL EQUALY: THE MASTREAMG OF GAY AND LBIAN LIBERATN, A SEMAL TEXT BY PROMENT ACTIVIST AND TELLECTUAL URVASHI VAID. BUT THE WORDS RG TE TODAY. HERE WE ARE, ENDG WHAT SOME ARE LLG “THE GREATT YEAR GAY RIGHTS”—AND YEAH, ’S BEEN A BIG YEAR OM THE UNPRECENTED LEGAL BREAKTHROUGHS, PECIALLY MARRIAGE EQUALY, TO THE CULTURAL MARKERS OF MORE AND MORE CELEBRI AND SPORTS FIGUR G OUT OF THE CLOSET. AND YET ’S NOT JT THAT CLARG VICTORY THE CULTURE WAR, OR EVEN SKIRMISH, FEELS PREMATURE—AS THOUGH MIMIZG THE ENDURG AND FECT FLUENCE OF THE RIGHT-WG BACKLASH. EVEN MORE, WH 2013 OVER, WE SHOULD ASK WHETHER ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR—AND THE PATH ON WHICH THE LGBT MOVEMENT IS HEAD—ED ADD UP TO TE EQUALY AND LIBERATN. REGARDG THE STRATEGI OF THE GAY MOVEMENT, WHAT VAID WROTE THEN APPLI NOW:“WE N CHOOSE THIS MOMENT TO FOLLOW THE PATH OUR PRECSORS PAVED—OF PURSUG CREMENTAL LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM, CREASG GAY AND LBIAN VISIBILY, PRSG FOR FAIR TREATMENT ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE. THIS WORK, OF SECURG AND BROANG CIVIL EQUALY, IS SELF A LIFETIME’S WORK, WHICH THERE IS ED VERY LTLE CHOICE; ALL OF WHO SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS MT ENGAGE . BUT WE DO HAVE THE CHOICE OF REACHG BEYOND THE CIVIL RIGHTS AMEWORK OF MASTREAM TEGRATN, AND BEYOND THE PARTIAL EQUALY THAT LIVERS, TO IMAGE AND CREATE A DIFFERENT MOVEMENT WHOSE GOAL IS GENUE SOCIAL CHANGE.” VAID GO ON TO ASK, “HOW DO A EEDOM-BASED MOVEMENT DIFFER OM A RIGHTS-BASED MOVEMENT?”IN 2006, AS THE “MARRIAGE EQUALY” MOVEMENT WAS GAG STEAM WH THE LGBT ACTIVIST MUNY, DOZENS OF PROMENT GAY, LBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR ACTIVISTS SIGNED A STATEMENT LLED “BEYOND SAME SEX MARRIAGE” (PDF)—OUTLG AN AGENDA THAT WOULD EXPAND FAY POLICY AMERI TO CLU GAY UPL AS WELL AS OTHER “NON-TRADNAL FAI” RATHER THAN SIMPLY SHOE-HORNG GAY FOLKS TO THE EXISTG STCTUR (AND STRICTUR) OF HETERO-NORMATIVE MARRIAGE. CENS DATA WERE ALREADY SHOWG THAT THE MAJORY OF AMERIN FAI WERE NO LONGER FTG THE TRADNAL, NUCLEAR MOLD. TODAY, FOUR OUT OF FIVE FAI FALL OUTSI THAT DATED NSTCT. THE “BEYOND SAME SEX MARRIAGE” STATEMENT READ, “TO HAVE OUR ERNMENT FE AS “LEGIMATE FAI” ONLY THOSE HOEHOLDS WH UPL NJUGAL RELATNSHIPS DO A TREMENDO DISSERVICE TO THE MANY OTHER WAYS WHICH PEOPLE ACTUALLY NSTCT THEIR FAI, KSHIP WORKS, HOEHOLDS, AND RELATNSHIPS.” TO THE MASTREAM GAY-RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ASSURG THAT THEY REALLY JT WANTED TO STRENGTHEN NVENTNAL MARRIAGE, THIS LIBERATNIST WG HELD UP A DIFFERENT VISN—OF DISMANTLG CIVIL MARRIAGE AS WE KNOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORN FAY NEEDS. (AND LT THIS SEEM LIKE SUCH A RADIL AND UNTENABLE POLIL AGENDA, NSERVATIV SUCH AS GLENN BECK AND LIBERTARIANS LIKE RAND PL SUPPORT GETTG ERNMENT OUT OF THE MARRIAGE BS.) PERSONALLY, SPE THE GROUNDSWELL MOVEMENT AS WELL AS PRSURE OM MY MOM AND, NOW, EVEN MY FIVE-YEAR-OLD DGHTER, I’VE NEVER BEEN BIG ON MARRIAGE. SURE, I BELIEVE GAY FOLKS WHO WANT TO GET MARRIED WH THE CURRENT NF SHOULD OF URSE HAVE THAT RIGHT. BUT AS A LBIAN ACTIVIST, I ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS FIGHTG FOR THE RIGHT TO BE DIFFERENT OM STRAIGHT FOLKS, NOT THE SAME—THAT THE QUT OF LIBERATN MEANT THAT I SHOULD HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AND TREATMENT REGARDLS OF THOSE DIFFERENC, RATHER THAN ACCSG BASIC RIGHTS AND EQUALY ONLY IF I NFORMED TO A HETEROSEXUAL NORM. IN OTHER WORDS, MY FAY SHOULD BE REGNIZED AND RPECTED WHETHER MY PARTNER AND I GET MARRIED OR NOT. THAT, TO ME, IS THE SENCE OF THE SORT OF “EEDOM-BASED MOVEMENT” THAT VAID (WHOM, I SHOULD NOTE, IS ONE OF MY MOST IMPORTANT POLIL MENTORS AND IENDS) ENVISNED. NOW PERHAPS THE MORE TERTG QUTN AT THIS JUNCTURE IS WHETHER THE ATTAMENT OF HETERO-NORMATIVE RIGHTS LEADS TO HOMO-LIBERATN AND SOCIAL JTICE MORE BROADLY. ON THE ONE HAND, ENDG BANS ON GAY FOLKS THE ARY IS ARGUABLY A FORM OF -OPTATN THAT SERV TO RERCE A ARY-POLICE DTRIAL PLEX THAT HAS HISTORILLY BEEN HOSTILE TOWARD “VIANT” SEXUALY AS OTHER FORMS OF DIFFERENCE, AS EVINT WH RAMPANT STOP-AND-ISK PRACTIC AGAST MUNI OF LOR TODAY. ON THE OTHER HAND, DO THE LOVABLE MASTREAM ELLEN DEGENER BEG ON TELEVISN MAKE POSSIBLE FOR THE TRANS ACTRS LAVERNE COX TO BE ON TELEVISN? ARGUABLY. AND ARGUABLY BOTH MAKE EASIER FOR LGBT FOLKS ACROSS THE UNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD TO EXPRS THEIR INTI AND THEIR SIR. BUT MORE BROADLY, AT THE SAME TIME THAT LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS HAD S BANNER YEAR AMERI, ENOMIC EQUALY REACHED RERD HIGHS, THE SUPREME COURT GUTTED VOTG RIGHTS AND THREW AFFIRMATIVE ACTN TO QUTN, AND DOZENS OF STATE AND FERAL LAWS WERE PHED TO RTRICT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE EEDOM. IN THIS SENSE, WOULD APPEAR THAT THE RISG TI OF LGBT EQUALY IS NOT LIFTG THE ENTIRE BOAT OF JTICE. THAT SHOULD GIVE ALL PSE. I DON’T MEAN TO BE A PARTY POOPER. WE SHOULD CERTALY CELEBRATE THE GREAT LEAPS FORWARD FOR GAY RIGHTS 2013, MARRIAGE EQUALY BUT ALSO WH CULTURAL MARKERS AND PECIALLY POLLS SHOWG THAT THE PUBLIC IS BEG MORE ACCEPTG. BUT 2014, WE MT REVIS THE GUIDG PHILOSOPHY OF THE GAY MOVEMENT AND WHETHER OUR STRATEGI AND TACTICS ARE PURSUG LIBERATN FOR ALL—GAY AND STRAIGHT, BLACK WHE AND BROWN, WOMEN AND MEN AND TRANS—OR MERELY SOME. THIS BATE, MORE VIBRANT S PAST, IS URGENT NEED OF REVIVAL. IF 2013 WAS THE YEAR THAT AMERINS OF ALL STRIP AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS JOED THE REENG BANDWAGON FOR GAY RIGHTS, MAY 2014 BE THE YEAR WHICH THE LGBT MOVEMENT RETURNS THE FAVOR WH A VISN OF LIBERATN FOR ALL. SALLY KOHN

The US supreme urt signalled a sweepg expansn of gay rights across Ameri on Monday, clg to hear appeals om five stat seekg to uphold bans on same-sex marriage and settg a urse for legalisatn a majory of stat the urt’s unexpected cisn to slam the door on pendg appeals meant there will be no imment lg on the nstutnaly of gay marriage natnwi.

Same-sex marriage beme legal Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virgia and Wisns, where the thori had been appealg feats agast lol bans on same-sex marriage the lower experts said gay marriage was also now “prumptively legal” six further stat that shared jurisdictns wh the appeal urt circus that heard the feated appeals: Colorado, Kansas, North Carola, South Carola, Wt Virgia and four out of the five stat volved the appeals, the top law officers were Republin.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

“The urt’s lettg stand the victori means that gay upl will soon share the eedom to marry 30 stat, reprentg 60% of the Amerin people, ” he said a he lled on the jtic to “fish the job”. December 15, 1973 - By a vote of 5, 854 to 3, 810, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn remov homosexualy om s list of mental disorrs the DSM-II Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs.

“GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS”: THE FRAMG OF NEW INTERPRETATNS OF INTERNATNAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS

November 30, 1993 - Print Bill Clton signs a ary policy directive that prohibs openly gay and lbian Amerins om servg the ary, but also prohibs the harassment of “closeted” homosexuals. December 3, 1996 - Hawaii’s Judge Chang l that the state do not have a legal right to prive same-sex upl of the right to marry, makg Hawaii the first state to regnize that gay and lbian upl are entled to the same privileg as heterosexual married upl.

Army service World War I, Gerber was spired to create his anizatn by the Scientific-Humanarian Commtee, a “homosexual emancipatn” group ’s small group published a few issu of s newsletter “Friendship and Freedom, ” the untry’s first gay-tert newsletter.

Ernment signated Gerber’s Chigo hoe a Natnal Historic Pk TriangleCorbis/Getty ImagHomosexual prisoners at the ncentratn mp at Sachsenhsen, Germany, wearg pk triangl on their uniforms on December 19, gay rights movement stagnated for the next few s, though LGBT dividuals around the world did e to the spotlight a few example, English poet and thor Radclyffe Hall stirred up ntroversy 1928 when she published her lbian-themed novel, The Well of Lonels.