LGBT in California
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
LGBT in California
Introduction (Historical Event)
Although the LGBT community all around the world still faces challenges today, the passage of the Consenting Adult Sex Act is what made California the first state to make homosexuality legal. This bill was introduced in 1970 by Governor Jerry Brown but was not passed until 1975. This bill repealed the sodomy law, which, at the time, made sexual acts between people of the same sex illegal. Governor Brown’s signing of the new bill in 1975, was the first significant step in California learning to accept this community’s way of life. This research paper aims to examine and critically analyze how the Californians reacted and adapted to the passage of the new law in 1975, the Consenting Adult Sex Act, which legalized homosexuality.
Audience
The audience that would benefit from my research would be members of the LGBT community, especially those in California. My paper may be most useful for looking into the history of the LGBT community and those wondering how communities reacted to homosexuality as legal for the first time. I picture this research paper being read by a person of the LGBT community looking into moving to California and researching how others accept this community in California. I will tailor my essay to this audience by being direct and formal. Writing with a sense of strength, showing that although the LGBT community still struggles today, the struggles back then were more burdensome, yet this community has come so far. My audience may or may not know about many events or terms I will discuss. I will explain in basic terms so that anyone who could read it is easy to understand.
Background of LGBTQ Community
Fundamentally, LGBTQ has existed for many years and happens to be a notion in human rights and practice. It is one of the subjects that have created a lot of controversy in American history and politics (Herek & Roy Gillis, 1997). Notably, prejudice, negative stereotypes and discrimination are deeply embedded in the LGBTQ community’s patterns of behaviors and values. For instance, public officials and policymakers have deliberately ignored people who subscribe to this way of life. As such, LGBTQ has faced a lot of difficulties and challenges (Graves & Watson, 2016). They are mistreated, they are not given priority, have their rights infringed, and are discriminated from the rest of the society members.
Researchers have done a lot towards establishing the guiding principles that guide the right approach to sexual orientation (Graves, & Watson, 2016). The principles relate to non-discrimination and equality in society (Graves & Watson, 2016). LGBTQ had had their rights at stake before the Consenting Adult Sex Act, which legalized homosexuality.
Close examination of the materials used to develop this project or work suggests that lesbians, gays, and bisexual individuals do not have their rights constituted in a manner that makes them feel part and parcel of the society (Graves, & Watson, 2016). Notably, the government and religious parties support or observe the same rights when it comes to heterosexual persons. LGBTQ persons have for quite long being denied either by practice or law their fundamental political, social, civil, and economic rights.
Some of the violations captured in this work include but not limited to; firstly, the LGBTQ group is denied equality right before the law (Graves, & Watson, 2016). The law is known to support people of the opposite gender who happen to have an association or mutual consent. Secondly, lesbians, gays, and bisexuals were denied the rights to non-discrimination and harassment (Herek & Roy Gillis, 1997). This was done by omitting laws that would cover their actions when formulating anti-discrimination laws and their enforcement.
Moreover, the LGBTQ community has endured violated the right to life through the death penalty whenever involved in sodomy. Other rights that this group is denied are; freedom of movement, right to a fair trial, right of non-degrading treatment, and right to work, among many others (Graves, & Watson, 2016). Careful interrogation of these violations, it is crystal clear that this group has no place in American society (Herek & Roy Gillis, 1997). For instance, no organization or company will be willing to hire an individual known to belong to this group.
Approaches Applied to Address the Difficulties or challenges facing LGBTQ Group.
Such actions and practices by the government agencies, churches, and groups opposed have for far too long made life miserable to the LGBTQ community. As a result, there were the birth gays, lesbians, and bisexual movement that championed for equal rights as other members of the American society (Graves, & Watson, 2016). To bring to the attention of all members who subscribe to this group, the 1970s and 80s were characterized by gay political organizations.
Groups such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Human Rights Campaigns started agitating for the legal and social reforms. Notably, gay activists began winning big in the United States. Between this period (the 1970s and 80s) nondiscriminating clause, a plant including sexual orientation were added in the existing constitution of people’s rights. This brings in one of the activists who won the hearts of very many people subscribing to the LGBTQ community; the man was Harvey Milk. To just shed light, this man was shot dead for supporting and advocating for the needs and considerations of a group in American society.
Harvey Milk Contribution to LGBTQ
From his lasts words before he was assassinated, Harvey argues that a person who stood for what they want, for instance being a gay activist or an activist in any movement opposing the oppressing policies set forward became a target for some people or group who felt insecure, terrified or afraid (RandomnessMaster, 2012). He recorded audio about his thoughts about gays and shared it through his blog. One of the things he wanted people in this community to understand was that the government, in collaboration with other forces, did not support people who had a contrary opinion to what was perceived or deemed right in the society.
Harvey was a caring person who believed that the LGBTQ group needed special attention, if not that some additional rights that would make them feel comfortable in the society. Assassinations and imprisonment were the vital tools used to cut the movement (RandomnessMaster, 2012). Today as I prepare this document, Harvey was shot dead, but what he sought was not shot endured the rough times until it becomes a reality.
Sex Reforms
Govern Edmund Brown signed the repealing state’s laws against gay sex, fornication, and cohabitation between consenting adults in private (Hansen, 1975). The new enactment of the Consenting Adult Sex Act, which legalized homosexuality, was to take effect from 1976, and California became the ninth state to repeal its laws against consensual sex (Hansen, 1975). The act was arrived at despite the dramatic periods that ensued within the senate.
Before the reforms, the president argued that the state has no business poking into private business affairs and the sexual lives of consenting adults (Sarif, 1976). He explained that the government had a chance to move back one phase of 1984, which meant that the gay activists were free at last to lead their movements without fear (Hansen, 1975). It was a win for the people because they were to exercise or choose a sexual orientation that befits them (Tal, 1984). People felt their rights are fully recognized despite the initial friction that existed within the first few years of the action implementation.
Conclusion
From this work, we note that the LGBTQ group’s rights were infringed for far too long. Some of the western civilization’s problems came from the government’s attempts to enforce religious standards. Other places like Russia, people had opted to identify with what made them happy. As such, the issue of church or religion did not matter.
Therefore, the Americans wanted to have a country where everyone has a right to stand for what they think is best for them and be treated equally in matters, social, economic, and political affiliations. The paper presents some of the rights that the LGBTQ group was denied. For example, freedom of movement, right to a fair trial, degrading treatment, and right to work, among many others.
References
Graves, D. J., & Watson, S. E. (2016). Citywide Historic Context Statement for LGBTQ History in San Francisco. San Francisco Planning Department.
Hansen, G. (1975). Brown signs sex reforms. Retrieved from http://www.unmarriedamerica.org/Archives/1975-CA-Consenting-Adults-Act/1975-CA-News-Stories-on-Consenting-Adults-Act-Passage.pdf
Herek, G. M., & J. Roy Gillis. (1997). Hate crime victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(2), 195
RandomnessMaster (2012). The last words of Harvey Milk (Full Audio Clip). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVb9nt8huMY
Sarif D. (1976). Gays News Alliance/News West Retrieved from http://www.unmarriedamerica.org/Archives/1975-CA-Consenting-Adults-Act/1975-CA-News-Stories-on-Consenting-Adults-Act-Passage.pdf
Tal (1984). California gay rights off our backs, 14(6), 10.