Gay Rights Speech Essay, Research Paper

Speech in the Gay Rights Convention

Prejudice against homosexuals is like warfare, in which there is no shelter and everyone is involved. The problem with prejudice and hate crimes is that many people are unaware of what they are. Many people today are disgusted with the concept of slavery and racism towards blacks. But one notion that people fail to comprehend is that they are emulating the puritan?s straightlaced beliefs and are prejudice against gays and lesbians. Many people are oblivious of the laws that prohibit homosexuals the rights that characterize them as human beings. Most of you do not think about your rights and they are frequently taken for granted. Also, numerous amounts of people have preconceived notions of how homosexuals behave. ?Attitudes toward homosexuality were overwhelmingly negative. Homosexual activities were hidden and spoken of only in whispers, and homosexual behavior? was a criminal offense in most of the United States. Homosexuals were subject to stereotypes and prejudice. Gay men were viewed as effeminate, lesbians were portrayed as mannish, and both were seen as being obsessed with sex, with little self-control or morality.? All I ask of you is to look around. Gays and lesbians are part of society. People, such as your neighbors, hairdresser, relatives, friends, and people you have known all your life could be gay! Does that make them different? Many people say that homosexuality is not natural. But I ask you, what is natural? They are a component of society, and we must grant them equal rights. Gays and lesbians encounter religious criticism and social injustice everyday of their lives.

Homosexuals suffer criticism from religious groups because some religious texts discriminate against diversified life styles, culture, skin color, and beliefs. Many people support the idea of legal and social recognition of rights between people of the same gender. Some Christians claim that their opposition to homosexuality and homosexual marriages is not in the Bible. But do we not have the freedom of religion in this country? Most of your ancestors ran away and traveled to this country to escape the wrath of some religions. Why must we do this to other people? Most heterosexual Americans feel that their lifestyle is being threatened by anything that is different. The book of Genesis does not even mention homosexuality in a negative connotation. ?The Genesis account does not forbid homosexuality; it simply does not refer to it… A gay couple could hardly begin the population process. But these verses cannot be seen as a model for all couples: many heterosexual couples are childless, or unable to have sexual relations. Are they in sin because they do not conform to the Genesis account?? 2(n pag). So when someone asks you if you support gay rights, are you going to say that you disagree because you are racist?

As well as religious criticism, gays and lesbians has to endure social injustice. Imagine falling in love with the person of your dreams and you are planning to get married and spend the remainder of your lives together. But what if this person is a different race? Generations ago, this would have never been acknowledged, but in today?s society it does not appear to be a problem. Does the color of a person?s skin change who they are on the inside? Most people do not discriminate against minorities because of the color of their skin, so why do people discriminate against gays and lesbians because of what is in their hearts? Would you permit the government to command you on whom to love; how to live; and how to feel? Since homosexuals can not get married, they work harder for relationships. They travel far and get married, and divorce is very uncommon amongst couples. According to the Americans Civil Liberties Union, many benefits that homosexuals are denied include; social security, Medicare, hospital visitation rights, special rates, exemption on tax returns, joint child custody, joint insurance policies, automatic inheritance from a will, making medical decisions on the partners behalf, and choosing a final resting place for a deceased partner. Most heterosexual Americans believe that their way of life is being threatened by anything that is different. Society is terrified of the unknown, and it is this difference amongst people that spread rumors and distrust. Distrust leads to hate crimes such as when ?A 20-year-old Gay University of Arizona student was sitting at a caf? when a man came up behind him and punched and stabbed him with large knife. Witnesses heard the perpetrator saying that he had ?killed a f—ing faggot,? ?this is what gays deserve,? and ?let this be a warning to the gay community.?” 3(n pag.) Hopefully one day we will realize the discrimination involved with denying rights to groups of people.

Unless people open their minds and terminate religious and social dilemmas towards gays and lesbians, the prejudice will not desist. Unless we begin taking action and aiding mankind to come to grips with who they are, we can not cease the prejudice towards homosexuals. People grow up ashamed of their sexuality and try to transformation into something they are not! If you want help stop prejudice and hate crimes against gays and lesbians, write to your congressman and let him know your opinions. Be a bigger person than most of society; accept mankind the way it is. Mankind has been given a gift, it allows us to see past different religions, culture, beliefs, and more important, lifestyles. Be straight; not narrow.

“Homosexuality,” Microsoft? Encarta? 98 Encyclopedia. ? 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Encarta goes into depth to explain the history and the roles that homosexuality has played in the past. Also, it describes the attitudes directed towards gays and lesbians. Encarta also illustrates the activism and currents issues in the world today.

2 Dallas, Joe. ?Responding to Pro-Gay Theology?

Internet * http://www.leaderu.com/jhs/dallas.html*

Mr. Dallas is a religious, gay man who speaks around the country and enlightens people about the bible and homosexuality. He finds that the bible does not proclaim any negative

remarks toward homosexuality. In contrast, religious quotations are give that opposes Mr. Dallas statement. The quotations are analyzed for the true meaning of the text. Also, this three-part series will address the pro-gay theology by dividing its arguments into three categories: social justice arguments, general religious arguments, and scriptural arguments.

3?February 6, 2000, Tuscon, Arizona?. A Chronology of Hate Crimes ? 2000. Human Rights Campaign. Internet. * http://www.hrc.org/issues/hate/chronologyHC_2000.asp*

The human rights campaign (HRC) lists some of the hate crimes against homosexuals, as well as other minorities. The HRC depicts the how the hate crimes reported on the basis of sexual orientation are increasing. In 1998, there was an 14.3 percent increase in reported hate crimes against gays and lesbians according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program, making them the third highest category reported to the FBI. This increase is particularly disturbing since, overall, serious crime continues to decrease nationally. Since the FBI began collecting statistics in 1991, hate crimes based on sexual orientation have nearly tripled