Homosexuals need equal rights
Homophobic attitude hinders progress in gaining social equality

With the writing of the Constitution, America was established as the land of the free, where “all men are created equal under God.”

While being free hasn’t always been a common theme for all Americans, today we live in a multiethnic, multicultural society where most citizens enjoy equal rights. However, America is not the land of the free for some of its citizens.

Since it became an issue in the 1980s, equal rights for homosexuals has often times fallen on deaf ears in mainstream society.

Americans discriminate against homosexual couples so much that it draws comparisons to “separate but equal” and the struggles of African Americans in the early 20th century.

This issue begs one question: Why? Why don’t homosexuals have equal rights like the rest of Americans do?

The traditional response to this question is twofold. The largest arguments against gay rights are rooted in religion. While the United States grants freedom of religion under law, the majority of religious practices in America preach against homosexual unions. The Bible, in several passages, condemns those who engage in sexual practices with the same sex.

Americans with strong religious backgrounds see homosexuals as ungodly and as sinners of the worst kind. In my hometown of Topeka, Kan., we have heavy persecution of homosexuals by religious organizations. One church, under the direction of Rev. Fred Phelps, has gained Topeka national exposure for its aggressive picketing of churches and businesses that house homosexual members. Phelps has even picketed funerals of homosexuals, most notably in Wyoming, where a gay teenager was beat to death in 1998 for his sexual orientation.

That brings me to my second argument: the overall homophobic attitude of Americans. Everyday, I hear my friends spout out claims of not being gay, or how sick being gay is. This reflects the basic attitude of Americans: People fear what they do not understand, and most Americans don’t accept and even fear homosexuals.

There has been a drastic increase in hate crimes in the last five years against gays, especially in the Midwest and the South. Homosexuals are afraid to reveal their sexual preference because of the persecution and the prejudice they would face for their choice. As long as being gay remains mostly unacceptable and even dangerous, homosexuals are not “free and equal” in American mainstream society.

But for the massive persecution that homosexuals endure, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In some areas of the country, the gay rights movement has not fallen on deaf ears. Vermont is the largest example of the gay rights movement picking up steam. Vermont has recently passed a law, allowing “civil unions” of gay couples.

This legislation is huge, because no other state, save Hawaii, has made such a drastic movement to recognize homosexuals.

nsurance companies have made steps to make sure gay couples get the same protection as other married couples. Most colleges have stopped discriminating against sexual orientation in their admission processes, with the largest step being conservative Southern Methodist University instituting benefits for gay couples. These steps, while minor, could lead to a broader cultural acceptance for homosexuals in the 21st century.

If America is truly the land of the free, then homosexuals should have equal rights with all Americans. But with a conservative-laden government and a general homophobic attitude in mainstream society, these rights are in a distant future.

But this is America, and the only question is, why not? Should “separate but equal” be our new policy toward a new group of minorities? Even though gay liberation has a lot to overcome, this is America, and anything can happen.

Guest columnist Alex Johnson is a freshman history major from Topeka, Kan.
He can be reached at (a.m.johnson@student.tcu.edu)

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