A homosexual being denied their God ordained rights has been a constant debate for centuries. Before the LBGT movement gained more support, most Americans would rather avoid the topic of homosexuality because it was too taboo. The discussion of there being people that were openly gay wasn’t exactly “table talk.” It was easier for society to brush it under the rug. However, the gay rights movement didn’t gain momentum until the 1950s, when more gays become more confident about openly expressing their love towards their partners. Despite the progression the gay rights movements has received, this movement has reached a cement padded roadblock. It is natural in American culture for two people that love each other to get married; except for a person that is gay that is not a possibility. The problem in society isn’t that governments are too lazy to pass a gay marriage law. In fact, the problem is the principles and perceptions associated to homosexuals. There is a stigma that being gay is wrong despite the progression that the LGBT movement has received. As a person who does have a lesbian sister, I must address that it isn’t simply gay marriage as a law, its homosexuality as the perception that it is wrong. Gays are being denied the right of marriage and acceptance due to principles and the perception that homosexuality is wrong. Now, the gay rights movement is progressively aiming towards opening the hearts and minds of Americans to being more accepting. Although, this movement has proved to be controversial, it is a necessity to address the problem in society, so that it can understand why there is a roadblock on normalizing homosexuality: the perception that homosexuality is wrong.

The American Gay Right Movement has been around since the 1920s, making history and changing the lives of millions, through the Stonewall riots, the contributions of Harvey Milk, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the first civil unions, and the legalization of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and more. (n.d.). However, homosexuality has been around since the beginning of time. The discussion of homosexuality wasn’t a topic most, particularly men, willingly choose to speak about in fear of being deemed gay themselves. On a primal, basic level, “homophobic heterosexuals men can’t accept gay men because” gays “are not like them.” (The Epistle, n.d.). It was once, and often times still is, instilled in people to regard gays as less than because they are going against the grain. Thus, to the minds of most close-mined people, anyone that goes against the grain is doing something wrong and shouldn’t be followed. However, I have been around homosexuals all my life. I have a homosexual uncle, cousin, sister, and friend and none of them pose a threat to me.

Even though “normal” is socially constructed, norms are “rules of conduct that guide people’s behaviors in social situations.” Values, the ideas about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior, and norms both work together to “serve as a script for how to behave in society.” However there are some that don’t conform to the values or norms of society, known as deviant behavior. When someone engages in deviant behavior that goes against the values and norms of the majority, it could create a “strong reaction.” (Hoffarth, n.d.). Therefore, in response to the social issue of homosexuality, the natural response to compromise with homosexuals in the legal system was the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  Societies natural reaction to homosexuality was avoidance, most Americans decided not to openly react or respond because it made it seem as if homosexuality didn’t exist.  Thus, resulting in some Americas, legally-wise, wanting to push them from society, as if keeping open gays out of the military will fully eradicate gays from society. In 1993, President Clinton issued the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which authorized that “closeted homosexual service members were allowed to serve in the military while homosexual or bisexual persons who revealed their sexual orientation were subject to discharge upon discovery.” (Jurist, n.d.). However, in doing so, it was further not normalizing homosexuality in America because it was urging for gays to cover up and not expose who they really are, as if they were doing something wrong. This policy was implying that in order to be seen effective in the eyes of Americans you had to be on the “Down Low” because there was no possible way heterosexuals and homosexuals could get along due to prejudice feelings or attitudes. A gay or a lesbian had to comprise who they were, in order to fight for a country that is supposedly the land of the free. After 17 years President Barack Obama, was able to repeal the DADT policy, creating a message that discrimination was not acceptable. Since as Americans we put a lot of faith into the legal system, DADT was unknowingly working against normalizing homosexuals because the only reason something gets banned is if it is a threat to the nation. Society has come a long way since 1993 in accepting homosexuals, except not in trying to normalize the idea homosexuality. Agreeably, most have accepted that there are gays rather than staying ignorantly oblivious, but some can’t fathom the idea that gays would want to get married because of cliché perceptions that same-sex relationships are unorthodox.

There are other instances that are unknowingly working against normalizing homosexuality in America. “Hate the sin, love the sinner,” has become an important slogan in regards to the LGBT community. However, this phrase is not promoting the acceptance of gays, in fact this phrase is further marginalizing and ostracizing gays. It is a matter of right or wrong. If you’re straight, you are on a god-like path. But if you’re gay, your detrimental to society, you are a disgrace. Most are failing to “recognize that what we are calling “sin” and the person we are calling a “sinner” are one and the same,”  stated by Mark Sandlin in “Clobbering “Biblical” Gay Bashing,” because “It’s like saying “hate the toppings, love the pizza.” (Sandlin, n.d.). There isn’t a way to distinguish between a sin and the sinner because it doesn’t exist. Therefore, to define accepting the gay community as hating the sin, but loving the sinner, isn’t effectively separating a gay person from being a person that is doing something wrong. These are the perceptions that are mainly to blame when homosexuality is discussed. The beliefs that the society should take the social issue of homosexuality into their own hands or the marginalization of homosexuals based on the notion that homosexuality are taboo and wrong.

In order for Americans to alter the perception that is associated with homosexuality, such as it being unorthodox or the wrong, there needs to be a change in the image of what acceptance is in American culture.  Acceptance isn’t to imply that homosexuals are sinful or advocating for others to not address homosexuality because it is too taboo. So far, excluding the entertainment world, acceptance has been defined through marginalized phrases and homophobic policies. In fact, the entertainment world has already gained a stance on gay rights and altering the image of acceptance of homosexuals. In the entertainment industry homosexuals are accepted and proud to be whom they are. Ellen DeGeneres, a talk show host and comedian, is contemptuously in a relationship with her girlfriend Portia De Rossi. Darren Young, WWE star, was one of the first to publicly announce to being gay in his career. Also, Jason Collins, a NBA player, has now paved the way for future homosexual athletes to show that by being gay it doesn’t hinder your masculinity or femininity. In pop culture, homosexuality is widely approved, yet it is still a taboo topic in the American culture, specifically in the government.

Regardless of the advancement homosexuals are receiving in response to pop culture’s acceptance, there is still a needs for improvement in regards to the government. As of February 2014, there are 16 states and Washington D.C., according to CNN, that have passed laws allowing same-sex marriages. The remaining states have banned same-sex marriages because it goes against their principles. Therefore, in order for society to become more comfortable with the idea of homosexuality, there needs to be a change in how gays are viewed and having the support of the nation. The most important way to solving the issue of how homosexuals are perceived in America, besides altering the image of acceptance, is passing gay marriage laws and those accommodating benefits. Gay marriage will pave the way to changing the perception that some have towards gay people. Since Americans do in fact put a lot of faith into the legal system, gay marriage will work towards normalizing homosexuality instead of working against it. By all states implanting gay marriage laws into the community it will further normalize homosexuality in America and not just in pop culture. Barack Obama stated in an interview with ABC, “I’ve always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally.” (2012). Obama is one of the first presidents to announce his support for same-sex marriage. After Obama publicly announce his stance on homosexuality, more and more Americans are beginning to accept and acknowledge gays. However, more and more some states are adamant about not allowing same-sex marriage.  President Obama stated in an interview with Robin Roberts on an ABC interview that, “Unfortunately, 30 states, including Kansas and Missouri, have laws banning gay marriage,” proceeding President Obama’s announcement of support for the LGBT community. So there is still a long way America must go to altering the perception of homosexuals. Even though my sister is able to legally marry her partner, there are still plenty of others that can’t the reason being a response to the perceptions that associated to homosexuals. Gay marriage won’t force gays to cover up like the DADT policy or promote a stigma that homosexuality is wrong, which is why the stigma on gays should be altered.

Despite the progression in the fight to having equality for all gays, there is still a roadblock in accepting that gays are here to stay. Changing the stigma associated with gays will allow a more normalized view of gays. Homosexuality is still a weird topic regardless of its approval in pop culture. In American culture we put on rose colored glasses because it’s too controversial, too weird, or there is no point, nothing will change. Women Suffrage was too weird, but the 19th Amendment was passed. The Civil Rights Movement was too controversial, but the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act was passed. The LGBT Movement may seem too taboo, but after altering the stigmas associated to homosexuals, it will normalize homosexuality and promote equality for all in America.

REFRENCES

The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline | Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html

Don’t ask, don’t tell. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://jurist.org/feature/featured/dadt/

The Epistle. (n.d.). The real reason straight Americans can’t accept gay Americans. Retrieved from http://epistle.us/articles/straightamerica.html

Hoffarth, G. (n.d.). THE SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://instruction.blackhawk.edu/ghoffarth/social%20problems/socunit1.htm

JURIST Feature Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://jurist.org/feature/featured/dadt/detail.php

President Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage | The White House.( 2012, May 10). The White House. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from  http://m.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/10/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage

Sandlin, M. (n.d.). Clobbering “Biblical” Gay Bashing – The God Article. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.thegodarticle.com/7/post/2011/10/clobbering-biblical-gay-bashing.html

Transcript: Robin Roberts ABC News Interview With President Obama – ABC News. (2012, May

9). Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-robin-roberts-abc-news-interview-president-obama/story?id=16316043