Rights for gay and lesbians- Chapter 1
In a newspaper article discussing the controversial topic of gay rights, it shows a gay
couple, John and James, who feel that Texas law denied them of their freedom. James passed
away due to cancer, but John was not listed as the husband on the death certificate instead he was
listed as single. Since Texas still banned same-sex marriage. John took his case to court and he
was still denied to have his name on his husband’s death certificate. John needed to be on the
certificate due to James’ lack of a will; this will cause John to be unable to receive spousal death
benefits. No one responded immediately to his case.
The chapter’s ideas appear in the article, showing the different ways gay and lesbians
have been discriminated. For example, two men who were involved in sexual activity were
arrested. Marriage is also discussed in both instances as having a religious background. If it is
religious then the union should not have the right to restrict religious beliefs of any kind. This
article also shows us how many different topics relate. Just as African Americans, Latinos and
women all struggled to achieve full citizens, gays and lesbians are trying to obtain equal rights.
Their struggle of gays to reach equality with the citizens is very important in today’s
society. If this group of Americans are able to reach full citizenship it will reveal how true the
concept of minority over majority is destroying American values. In today’s world the
minorities of the world are the people that ultimately decide how the laws will change. This is
all due in the name of equality, even though the people who are striving for “equality” are
pushing to have more rights than their fellow citizens. In Texas the rights of gays and lesbians
are likely to stay the way they are right now. The major reason for this is how the party tries to
get their point across. Instead of using debate or reason, they attack the Texan population by
accusing them of being prejudice and unfair. Texas is unlikely to pass any laws that allow gays
and lesbians to become married or to gain any of the benefits of marriage.