The Fight For Equality
...in the twentieth century. Homosexuals are currently the largest group of Americans that federal protection has not been extended too. Gay people can hide, but in hiding they are compromising their freedom. Everyone should have the right to marry, have children, and to hold any occupation that they choose regardless of their sexual orientation.
Discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or nationality is outlawed by Congress but sexual orientation is not on the list. In some cities and states, gay activist groups are trying to get anti-discrimination laws passed. But conservatives are fighting those laws and proposing ordinances of their own which would prevent sexual orientation from being included. States such as Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Wisconsin outlaw discrimination on the basis of homosexuality. Sodomy, solicitation, and loitering are the three major areas where police justify their attention towards gays and lesbians. Sodomy is the main area of focus. In twenty-three states, sodomy statutes criminalize certain sexual practices that both homosexuals and heterosexuals engage in. In the 1996 decision in Bowers v. Hardwich the Supreme Court decided that these laws are valid when applied to homosexuals but not to heterosexuals.
Employment discrimination laws seek to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, and age by employers. There is also a growing body of law preventing or occasionally justifying employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since homosexuals cannot get married, domestic-partner benefits are the only benefits that they are capable of getting. Having these domestic-partner benefits means that the partners of gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees would receive the same benefits from the company that are given to the married...
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