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Laura La Grutta
Professor Gary Howard
English 2010
17 November 2015
Homosexuals and Their Rights
The focus of this research paper is the investigation of the violence against homosexuals
and how this issue has a moral impact in our society. Christians have a strict point of view
towards the morality of homosexuals, yet it has always been an underlying factor that human
rights should be available for everyone. That includes the economic benefactors of civil union
and marriage. Do they have the right to raise children? With that, the acceptance of homosexuals
in modern society brings forward the question of nature versus nurture. Other countries may see
this group of people and how they are oppressed. In modern society, there are many fears about
the full acceptance of homosexuality. As we move forward, we push more and more for the
acceptance of diversity, especially in media and political agenda and military.
Ancient Greek and Roman society accepted homosexuality as a normal way of living
(Aldrich 1722-1723). Christians had and still have another perspective about it. They taught
strongly against homosexuality as a sinful way of living. Christianity became increasingly
violent in condemnation of homosexual behavior, forcing men who wanted sex with other men
into subterfuge (Aldrich 1723). Other cultures look at homosexuality as an immoral behavior
that will destroy their culture in long term. There is a lot of prejudice against homosexuals.
Homosexuals have been ridiculed, bullied, and even killed for their sexual preference.

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Nowadays many places in the world have strict laws against homosexuals. As reported
by BBC news in its article Where is it Illegal to be gay, There are currently 75 countries with
anti-homosexuality law (Where is it Illegal to be gay). In five of these countries, homosexuality
is punishable with the death penalty. These counties are Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
and Yemen (Where is it Illegal to be gay). This reality shows us the necessity and the value of
Human Rights laws. This is a matter of human rights. As humans, homosexuals have the right of
being considered full citizens in society. They deserve to be respected for their contributions and
not judged or killed for their sexual preference.
Too many people in society are concerned that if we fully accept homosexuality as a
norm, the basic value of morality that our society holds will be diminished. There is a lot of
tension between moralists and those who defend the human rights of homosexuals. These two
major groups have their pros and cons regarding these issues. They try to validate their position
arguing theories that explain homosexual behavior through nature versus nurture, and in this way
find the solution for the defense of their point of view. Homosexuals claim that it is their nature
to be homosexual, that it is the way they were born. Others think that the reason for their
homosexuality is based on nurture; meaning that the cause for their homosexuality is more a
choice brought on by life events and some even say there could be a cure.
However, there is another group. This group is for the human rights and what implication
this brings in our society. According to the article of What of the Basic of the Human Rights
Framework? on The National Economic and Social Rights Initiative website (or NESRI),
human rights frameworks should protect civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
People are entitled to these rights for the simple fact of being human. They believe that human
rights should be offered to all people no matter what their preference, because everyone is

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entitled to these rights. Governments must ensure economic, social, and cultural rights as health
and protection for all their citizens. All people have the right to participate, protect their rights,
and have their voices heard (What of the Basic of the Human Rights Framework?).
It seems that American culture has accepted homosexuality very well. We now see
homosexuals in TV shows, movies, etc. as part of our diversity. They are depicted as good people
with lots of wisdom to share, as heroes of fashion and knowledgeable about dating. The roles are
almost clich. Nevertheless, we should not fool ourselves. There is more to do. Statistics also
still show high numbers of crimes against homosexuals here in our country.

As stated in the

article Record Number of Reported LGBT Homicides so Far in 2015 on Huffpost A record 14
homicides of LGBT people have been reported so far in 2015, according to an open letter
released Thursday by the Anti-Violence Project, an advocacy group that publishes an annual
report on LGBT violence.(Shapiro).
As humans, homosexuals should have some protections regarding their rights to get
married, adopt children, finances, medical insurance, and the ability to claim their inheritances
and property from their long tern partner. Unfortunately, all these issues are still in debate. The
reasons why homosexuals want the government to pass laws that allows people of the same sex
to marry goes further than cultural acceptance of their love. They want to be able to get the legal
benefits that any other couple would get when they marry. Some examples of these are health
insurance for his or her partner, legal claim of inheritances if the situation arrives and the
possibility of adopting children under the law.
In this respect, their demands have a logical and undeniable foundation. As human
beings, they deserve to be treated as any other civilian. They want the same responsibilities and

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privilege the Constitution offers to all citizens. Otherwise, we are telling them they are a secondclass citizen, they are limited and they are not completely protected under the law just because of
their sexual preference.
Homosexual groups have been fighting for years for their voice to be heard for the
establishing of laws that protect and benefit them. They know that in order for society to start to
respect them, they need to be protected under laws. Unfortunately, as mentioned before there are
many countries that have laws against homosexuals. Homosexuals have been treated very badly
and it is not just in other countries, it happens even here in America. There are many reports of
hate crimes against gays.
The polemic still opens and there are too many ramifications to this issue. Getting carried
away with by extremist points of view and actions does not help anyone; instead, it makes the
situation even worse. Regardless of the different points of view about homosexuality, the truth is
that all people have the right to be treated with respect and the entitlement of their human rights.
Legal rights are one critical piece of the puzzle, Dr. Eliza Byard, the executive director
of GLSEN, an LGBT-focused education network, told The Daily Beast. (Allen).
Having moral values should not have anything to do with your sexual preference but with
the way you have been raised. People should have the right to decide whom they want to love,
and there should not be legal restrictions for that decision. If being a homosexual is a sin under
Gods eyes, it is not for us as a society to condemn those that are born or who decide to go that
way. Let God do his job. However, it is our obligation to teach, protect and reinforce human
rights to ensure respect, equality, and opportunities for all of us without discrimination.

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Works Cited
Aldrich, Robert. "Homosexuality and The City: An Historical Overview." Urban Studies
(Routledge) 41.9 (2004): 1719-1737. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Allen, Samantha. "LGBT Leaders: Gay Marriage Is Not Enough." The Daily Beast.
Newsweek/Daily Beast, June-July 2015. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
Goodman, Walter. "On Gay Nature vs. Nurture." The New York Times 1997: Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Homosexuality is not inherited and science fiction solutions won't help." The Washington Times
(Washington, DC) 1997: Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Nussbaum, Martha C. "Other Times, Other Places: Homosexuality In Ancient Greece." Annual
Of Psychoanalysis 30.(2002): 9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Shapiro, Lila. "Record Number of Reported LGBT Homicides So Far In 2015." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 Feb. 2015. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"What Are the Basic Principles of the Human Rights Framework? | NESRI | National Economic
& Social Rights Initiative." N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"Where Is It Illegal to Be Gay?" BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.