Research Paper

Land of the Judged

          America’s trademark phrase, as seen in our Declaration of Independence, is that our people live in the “land of the free,” however, American citizens are only free to an extent. In America, we are given certain rights at birth, those being life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, some people are less privileged than others because of how some people view equality amongst all humans. Depending on your personal views, the way you were raised, or other extenuating circumstances, homosexual people tend to have the short end of the stick when it comes to equality. This includes not only legal laws but social norms as well. For us to say we live in a nation that advocates for freedom and equality is hypocritical, since some of our population still does not agree with a gay or lesbian lifestyle. Homosexual people are not any different than anyone else and are living their lives the same as we are: searching for someone to share the rest of our lives with. More people should join the movement to support the LGBT+ community to advocate for equality among people of all sexualities, regardless of gender.
Homophobia is described as a discomfort over close personal interactions with people thought to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. According to Roffman in his article on heterosexual masculinity and homophobia, “in contemporary American society people remain predominantly heterosexual, believing that heterosexuality is superior morally, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally to homosexuality” (Roffman). People who hold the belief that heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality tend to cause discrimination or prejudice against both homosexuals and bisexuals. Acceptance among the gay community has slowly gotten better over the years, but there is still more work that needs to be done. In a recent study by Larry Lance on the societal effect of gay people with straight people: “Heterosexism is so predominant in American society that public space is controlled and heterosexualized from the perspective that most tourism locations are perceived to be heterosexual. Thus, gay people who vacation seek out specific ‘gay oriented’ places, such as San Francisco” (Lance). This quote is especially shocking because for something as simple as going on a vacation, gay or lesbian people have to factor in if they will fit in or not to the societal norms of that area. Homophobia should not play as much of a role as it does in some people’s lives today because it is just getting in the way of another person’s happiness.  
Homosexual relationships are just like any other couple’s who want to raise a family and grow old with someone they care about. In a lot of case studies, the ability for gay or lesbian couples to adopt is a hard task that is more fair and easy for straight people. “At present, eighty six percent of Americans say a single parent and child constitute a family; nearly as many eighty percent say an unmarried couple living together with a child is a family; and sixty three percent say a gay or lesbian couple raising a child is a family” (Becker). From this data, the reader can see that the majority of people think that homosexual couples are the least effective at raising children in a family. Typically, the people who advocate for this think that if a gay or lesbian couple has children, the kids will not have successful opposite gender parent roles. An example of this is that lesbian couples cannot play the role of a dad and vice versa for gay dad’s not being able to play the mom role. Despite these arguments, it is not fair for the child to get harassed by other children because their family life is not similar to other kids. A happy home breeds good, healthy children, and if the home is not happy that is when someone can argue that a person’s parenting skills are not suited to the needs of the child enough. 
To elaborate further, children who are put into foster care need homes, and for a person to argue that the child will have a better life in a group home rather than in a home with a family is wrong. There have been many instances where children who were raised in group homes grow up to have mental issues and be more guarded than children who are raised in loving homes. The children have not shown signs of poor development in homosexual homes in comparison to heterosexual homes. “The overall current body of literature suggests that a parent’s sexual orientation in and of itself has no detrimental effect on the development and adjustment of children and adolescents; instead quality of relationships among family members is [far] more predictive of developmental outcomes” (Raley). As this quote reveals, children who are taken in by gay couples are not more likely to have any more developmental problems than any other child. In fact, being in a group home would have more detrimental effects on the child’s psych than having homosexual parents. The social stigma against the LGBT+ community is holding willing and fit parents from being able to raise children and create families and it is not right to take that from them since they are genetically or physically unable to bear their own child with their partner.
The pride parades have always been events that my sister and I have perpetually been a part of, even before she came out to me. This event takes place all over the world and gathers people who all advocate for the same thing: equality for the LGBT+ community. To my sister and me, the concept of love is open and should be equal for all people regardless of their sexual orientation. For another person to deprive someone of something as basic as who they should date or fall in love with is erroneous. It is no one’s place to decide how someone else should be living their life in order to be “morally correct” in their eyes. For instance, my parents are devoutly religious and were skeptical when my sister came out to them because they think that she will have a lot of obstacles in her life now that she is openly gay. Unfortunately, my parents are right in some regards, since there will always be people out there who do not agree with her lifestyle. However, the fact that she is able to be open with herself and not hide who she is will greatly enhance her quality of life. Having to suppress her feelings for others simply because it isn’t considered (some of) society’s idea of a “normal” relationship would cause her to feel isolated and deviant. I don’t stand for gay rights because I have a sister who is gay. I stand for LGBT+ equality because it is just the right mindset to have. No one should have fewer privileges simply because of his or her sexual orientation. 
As society moves on, we as a community will continue to evolve with each other and learn to become more accepting of the people around us. For now, people will believe in what they want to believe in, which may or may not be morally correct; but it is not anyone’s place to pardon people of his or her opinion on another person’s viewpoint. Despite the homophobia among this generation, the people who advocate for gender equality, such as myself, need to inform others on why we need to change so we can stand up for the people who don’t have a voice. I personally fight for my sister who is lesbian and is not able to fight for herself because of our parent’s views on moral injustices. If people learn to take the initiative, I guarantee that in the future, people all around the world will be more accepting to different sexualities because, again, we are all born equal, as stated in our declaration. 

Works Cited

Becker, Amy B. "What's Marriage (And Family) Got To Do With It? Support For Same-Sex Marriage, Legal Unions, And Gay And Lesbian Couples Raising Children." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 93.4 (2012): 1007-1029. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Lance, Larry M. (1994). Do reductions in homophobia from heterosexual interactions with gay persons continue?: a study of social contact theory of inter-group tensions. International Journal of Group Tensions. 24 (Winter): 423- 434. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
Miller, Monica K. "How Judges Decide Whether Social Parents Have Parental Rights: A Five-Factor Typology." Family Court Review49.1 (2011): 72-83. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Murray, Paul D., and Karen McClintock. "Children Of The Closet: A Measurement Of The Anxiety And Self-Esteem Of Children Raised By A Non-Disclosed Homosexual Or Bisexual Parent." Journal Of Homosexuality (2005): 77-95. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Raley, Jesse A., et al. "Child Custody And Homosexual/Bisexual Parents: A Survey Of Judges." Journal Of Child Custody 10.1 (2013): 54-67. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Robitaille, Caroline, and Marie-Christine Saint-Jacques. "Social Stigma And The Situation Of Young People In Lesbian And Gay Stepfamilies." Journal Of Homosexuality 56.4 (2009): 421-442.Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Roffman, D.M. (2000). A model for helping schools address policy options regarding gay and lesbian youth. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 25, 130-136. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.