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Lgbt Equality

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LGBT Equality
{Name}
DeVry University

LGBT Equality
Rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people in the United States are comprised of a patchwork of laws in all levels of government. Currently, there are six states, plus Washington D.C., where same-sex marriages are legal. (Hamilton, 2012) Maryland has laws that recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, but does not allow same-sex marriages to occur in the state.(Davis & Wagner, 2010) Twenty-one states, plus Washington D.C., have laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.(Repa, n.d.) Adoption policies also vary greatly from state to state. LGBT rights have taken part of the fight that republicans and religious fundamentalists have waged against LGBT people and women’s rights that has swept the county in the last couple of years. Although some people believe that LGBT people should not receive equal marriage or adoption rights, there are many reasons to extend those basic rights to LGBT couples.
In the United States, there is a patchwork of laws regarding LGBT rights. In fact, there is a Supreme Court judgment in 2003 that started the move towards equality. The landmark case was the Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down sodomy laws in Texas. This, by extension, invalidated other similar laws in 13 other states and territories. (Lithwick, 2012) In 2009, President Obama passed the Mathew Shepard act.(Weiner, 2010) This act brought about one of the largest overhauls to LGBT rights, as well as African American rights, in decades. It was passed in conjunction to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010. The main purpose of the bill was to expand the powers of the 1969 United States federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identification or disability.

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