THE AMCHAM POST DECEMBER 07 - 2019
LBGTQ Rights
EDITORIAL
By Timothy Fallon
In the United States, certain rights are "unalienable," or mandatory for all citizens. These rights, as listed in our Constitution, include: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In addition to these basic ideas, an American citizen should have the right to their own sexual orientation. LBGTQ is the acronym used for the community of lesbian, bisexual, gay, transsexual, and queer individuals within society. This is a community of people who throughout history have been ostracized, discriminated against, and attacked both verbally and physically. Legislation has been passed on multiple occasions that has attempted to stifle the rights of the community. But it is a resilient people, and they have fought back time and time again against prejudices to become an entity that defines strength and inclusiveness. To offer an abbreviated timeline of rights and stigmas associated with the acronym:
* April, 1952: The American Psychiatric Association diagnoses homosexuality as a sociopathic personality disturbance.
* April 27, 1953: United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower bans homosexuals from working in the government.
* July 1961: Illinois becomes the first state to decriminalize homosexuality.
* January 9, 1978: Harvey Milk is the first openly gay man to win political office in California.
* March 2, 1982: Wisconsin becomes first state to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.
* November 30, 1993: President Bill Clinton signs a military policy to prohibit openly gay men and women from serving in the military; but also prohibits harassment of "closeted" homosexuals, known as 'Don't ask, Don't tell.'
* April 26, 2000: Vermont becomes first state to legalize civil unions between same sex couples.
* September 20, 2011: 'Don't ask, don't tell' is repealed.
* June 26, 2015: U.S. Supreme Court legalizes same sex marriage in all 50 states.
In 2019 gay men and women still receive ridicule and must fight for their rights. In 32 states across America, conversion therapy is still legal. This is a practice in which one attempts to change an individual's sexual orientation from homo or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological intervention. In the same country where gay men and women can stand tall and walk proudly, many states don't take strides to protect the LBGTQ community. In a positive sense, 18 states and Washington D.C. have passed legislation for banning this miscarriage of science (conversion therapy). This is all just to say that while times may look brighter, lesbian women and gay men still fight a tumultuous battle with societies demands.
Today, in many major cities throughout the world, "pride parades" are hosted. These are events for LBGTQ individuals to express themselves and be celebrated for the people that they are. Members, allies, friends, and family of the community gather to march in the streets, proud to be in their own skin. We are now getting closer to a nation wide acceptance level, however there is always room to improve. Much like the history of racism in America, the history of homophobia is an ongoing narrative. We as people can only try to be decent to one another, regardless of background. Humans are humans, and we should all battle through this life together.
images/AMCHAM/AMCHAMPOST2019/AmCham_Post_071219.pdf
