LGBTQ Rights and Progression
By: Kate Kirwan, Vince Renehan and Tyler Vaz
Problem
Currently, the members of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
and Questioning) community do not have equal rights, and are still faced with
discrimination in several social areas, which our project highlights. The main
goal of this project is to advocate for LGBTQ equality and for the promotion
of tolerance and protection towards all regardless of sexuality. Our project
consists of three parts: the first part is the identification of bills/initiatives
related to LGBTQ rights that are currently under debate. The second part of
our project consists of the creation of a list of congressional support for the
bills/initiatives. Lastly, our final step is the expression for such by signing a
petition.
History
The Beginning:
● December 10, 1924
The Society for Human Rights in Chicago has been recognized as a precursor to the
modern gay liberation movement. However it shortly disbands due to political
pressure
● November 11, 1950
In Los Angeles, gay rights activist Harry Hay founds America’s first national gay
rights organization. In an attempt to change public perception of homosexuality, the
Mattachine Society aims to “eliminate discrimination, derision, prejudice and
bigotry,” to assimilate homosexuals into mainstream society, and to cultivate the
notion of an “ethical homosexual culture.”
Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage
• Federal Court Case on Same-Sex Marriage to Take Place on April 28th, ruling
to take place in June 2015
• The Federal Court will hear arguments for and against same-sex marriage. The
justices will hear four court cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and
Tennessee.
• Will determine whether gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry,
or whether states have
“The Revolution:”
● June 28, 1969
Patrons of a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, fight back
during a police raid on June 27, sparking three days of riots. The Stonewall riots
transform the gay rights movement from one limited to a small number of activists
into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance.
● December 15, 1973
The board of the American Psychiatric Association votes to remove homosexuality
from its list of mental illnesses in the DSM.
● July 3, 1981
The New York Times prints the first story of a rare pneumonia and skin cancer found
in 41 gay men in New York and California. The CDC initially refers to the disease as
G.R.I.D., Gay Related Immune Deficiency Disorder. When the symptoms are found
outside the gay community, Bruce Voeller, biologist and founder of the National Gay
Task Force, successfully lobbies to change the name of the disease to AIDS.
• Dozens of federal and state court judges have ended marriage bans mostly citing
gay and lesbian couples' right to equal protection or due process under the
Constitution.
• According to USA Today Poll, 51% of those surveyed said that it is no longer
practical for Supreme Court to ban same-sex marriages because it has been
legalized in so many states.
• The Williams Institute at UCLA, after 11 years of research, has found that
public support for same-sex marriage has increased in every state by 2.6 percent
Support for the Brief:
● May 18, 2004
Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize gay marriage. The court finds the
prohibition of gay marriage unconstitutional because it denies dignity and equality of
all individuals. In the following six years, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut,
Iowa and Washington D.C. will follow suit.
● November 4, 2008
California voters approve Proposition 8, making same-sex marriage in California
illegal. The passing of the ballot garners national attention from gay-rights supporters
across the U.S. Prop 8 inspires the NOH8 campaign, a photo project that uses
celebrities to promote marriage equality.
● April 28, 2015
Supreme Court on Gay Marriage - Oral Argument
● June 2015
Supreme Court Ruling (TBD) ???
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012
www.PosterPresentations.com
● We further explored this issue by looking at the pieces of legislation that are
currently in deliberation pertaining to the LGBTQ community
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The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act
Global Respect Act
○ International Human Rights Defense Act
○ Respect for Marriage Act
○ Social Security and Marriage Equality Act
○ Student Non-Discrimination Act
○ Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act
○ Uniting American Families Act
○ Veteran Spouses Equal Families
International Human Rights Defense Act:
Introduced by Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA)
Description of Act:
“The International Human Rights Defense Act of 2014 would build an
unprecedented framework into U.S. diplomacy to protect LGBT rights worldwide, creating
a Special Envoy within the U.S. State Department who would serve as principal advisor to
the Secretary of State on LGBT issues.”
-Human Rights Campaign
What would the act provide?:
Indiana’s Religious Freedom Act
Signed by Governor Mike Pence on March 26, 2015:
● The law explains that the state “may not substantially burden” a “person’s”
free exercise of religion unless it is “essential to further a compelling
governmental interest” and “the least restrictive means” of doing so.
● The language of the bill defines a “person” as not just an individual, but
essentially any business or organization.
(Example: This bill exempts businesses like bakeries or florists from providing
services to same-sex couples who are winning the right to marry in places where
that practice isn’t politically popular because of the religious beliefs held by the
store owners.)
● In addition to Indiana, lawmakers in more than a dozen other states have
considered “religious freedom” bills in 2015.
Current Criminalization of LGBTQ Communities in Different Countries:
● Build a framework into U.S. diplomacy to protect LGBTQ rights worldwide
● Prevent and respond to discriminations and violence against the LGBTQ community
a foreign policy priority
● The Bill would require the State Department to include LGBTQ human rights as a
required section in the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, as well as
develop a global strategy to prevent and respond to discrimination against the
LGBTQ community internationally
● Create a Special Envoy within the State Department who would serve as principal
advisor to the Secretary of State on LGBTQ issues
● Special Envoy responsibilities include:
o Coordinate LGBTQ policies for all bureaus and offices of the State Department
in international programs of other federal agencies
o Represent the U.S. in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTQ
people
o Ensure that the needs of LGBTQ people seeking resettlement and protection are
incorporated into federal government policy
o Develop and help to implement a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to
discrimination and violence against LGBTQ people
o Monitor and assess the impact of government programs and policies in
advancing LGBTQ rights abroad
(This bill applies to United States Citizens Only*)
Plan
● December 21, 1993
The Department of Defense issues “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” a directive prohibiting the
U.S. Military from barring applicants from service based on their sexual orientation.
“Applicants... shall not be asked or required to reveal whether they are homosexual.”
(This policy has since been repealed in 2010)
● September 21, 1996
President Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act into law. The law defines
marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman and that no state is
required to recognize a same-sex marriage from out of state.
Results
○ Safe Schools Improvement Act
the right to ban the practice.
● April, 1952
The American Psychiatric Association lists homosexuality as a sociopathic personality
disturbance in its first publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders.
● April 27, 1953
President Dwight Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10450, banning
homosexuals from working for the federal government or any of its private
contractors. The Order lists homosexuals as security risks.
Action
Current Events Home and Abroad
Petition:
● After researching this bill, we then contacted different Congressmen/women
to understand their stances on the bill
● In addition to this, we created a petition in support of this bill and circulated
it across campus and our families
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/international-human-rights-defense-act.html
Advocacy and Awareness
It Gets Better Project (itgetsbetter.org)
Mission Statement:
● Communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth around the
world and within the US, that it gets better, and to create and inspire the
changes needed to make it better for them.
Creation:
● In response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied
in school, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube
video with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for young people facing
harassment. They wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere
to tell LGBT youth that, yes, it does indeed get better.
Gathering Signatures:
At Loyola:
● Networked & Informed different clubs:
o Spectrum, Asian Cultural Alliance, Diversity Peer Educators
● Explained our project & petition for the International Human Rights Defense
Act
o Wanted to relate back to diversity as a whole and how LGBTQ people
are discriminated against for a part of their identity
Congressional Support:
● Contacted 145+ Congressmen/women
o emails
o phone calls
o Conversations
● Asked for their opinion on LGBTQ Rights within US and abroad
o International Human Rights Defense Act
Congressional Responses:
● “Need to look into the International Human Rights Defense Act more”
● “Do not discuss “this kind” of legislation”
● We have had 5 congressmen contact us with regards to the Act
○ Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Rep. Niki
Tsongas (D-MA), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Michelle Lujan
Grisham (D-NM)
● We found a list of cosponsors- 53 Congressmen and women who already support the
International Human Rights Defense Act
○ Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), Rep. Steve Cohen
(D-TN), Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), Rep.
Theodore Deutch (D-FL), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY),
Rep. Elizabeth Etsy (D-CT), Rep. Christopher Gibson (R-NY), Rep. Alan
Grayson (D-FL), Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), Rep. Richard L. Hanna (R-NY),
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Rep. James A. Himes (D-CT), Rep. Michael M.
Honda (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
(D-TX), Rep. Henry C. Johnson Jr. (D-GA), Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Rep.
Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (DNY), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. James
McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-at Large), Rep. Scott
H. Peters (D-CA), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep.
Mike Quigley (D-IL), Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Adam Smith (DCA), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Dina Titus
(D-NV), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Rep.
Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. William R. Keating
(D-MA), Rep. Kyrseten Sinema (D-AZ), Rep. Suzan K. DelBone (D-WA), Rep.
Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA),
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Diana DeGetter
(D-CO), Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Rep. Raul M. Grijavla (D-AZ), Rep. Adam
B. Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Kathleen M. Rice (D-NY)
● We have collected signatures for the petition from our friends and family in order to
of support, and are continuing to do so
Conclusions
With regards to LGBTQ Rights, significant strides have been made in
order to attain equal rights for this community. However, much advocacy
and social change remains not only in the U.S. but in other countries. In
terms of our project, we did not gain a numerous amount of responses
from the congressmen and women that we contacted.
Due to the recent introduction and deliberation of the International Human
Rights Defense Act, it is hard to determine how this bill will be perceived.
Concerning our petition, we are gaining more signatures each day and we
hope that you will sign it as well!
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