What are LGBT Rights ?

LGBT Rights. People around the world face violence and

inequality and sometimes torture, even execution because
of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual
orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of our
selves and should never lead to discrimination or abuse.
Why should we support them ? (Reasons to support)
Equality
I firmly believe that we are all equal, and that everyone should
be treated the same. Gay marriage is an acknowledgement of
equality. Two #people should be able to formalise their
relationship, regardless of whether they are both men, both
women, or one of each.

Love
Love is something to be celebrated; it enriches and enhances
our lives. If two #people wish to stand up in front of witnesses
and have that love recognised by the law, then why should they
not do so? There is too much cruelty in the #world, so love
should be admired and encouraged.

Longevity
At a #time when divorce rates are high, it is something to be
admired when any couple can maintain an enduring
relationship. Many gay couples have been together for years,
so why should they not have that #relationship officially
recognised if they so wish?

Acceptance
A slogan I often use is Peace, Love and Tolerance. These are
three qualities I hold very dear. Supporting gay marriage is to
me a sign of true acceptance of #people in all their varieties

Legal Rights
It cant be right that a person in a long-standing
gay#relationship has no inheritance rights and no say if their
partner becomes ill or dies. I have #read several cases where
the surviving partner has been shut out by the deceaseds
family who have never accepted their sexuality

Stability
Im not actively in favour of marriage per se I think its fine if
you want to do it but for those who do wish to take that route,
they often do so because they see it as adding stability to
a #relationship. If gay couples feel the same way, then I think
that they should have the same option.

Harmless
Pagans like me believe in the tenet Do what you wish, as long
as it harms no-one. Well, what harm does allowing a gay
couple to get married really do? It is really just giving them
equal rights and status and does not affect anyone else. It
certainly wont bring society down.

We Are Who We Are

Sexuality is not something you choose, nor is it something that
anyone should be made to feel ashamed of. Gay couples have

the right to get married because they are who they are, and
there is nothing wrong with that at all.
I appreciate that this topic may provoke strong reactions, but
please be calm and polite in any responses. As I have said, I
believe strongly in equality and tolerance, and every step that
is taken to promote that is, in my view, a step towards making
us a better society.

The Top LGBT Issues

Here are 7 issues that the mainstream LGBT rights movement
should prioritize over marriage equality (in no particular order):
1. Queer and Trans* Youth Homelessness
blogger.com
40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT. 68% of those kids
were kicked out of their families and homes because of their
sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and54% reported
being survivors of abuse from their families. These experiences
leave these young people particularly vulnerable to mental and
physical health issues, and lead to unfair criminalization of
queer and trans* youth.
2. Violence Against Queer and Trans* People
glaad.org
There were 2,000 incidents of anti-LGBT hate violence in 2012.
In the past few months, weve seen the murder of Islan
Nettles (a trans* woman) and the shooting ofMark Carson (a
gay man). In May, there were at least 7 anti-LGBT attacks in
New York City alone.
3. Racial Justice
tumblr.com

Many of the issues facing the general LGBT population are even
worse for people of color. For example, LGBT people of color are
almost twice as likely to experience physical violence,
and 73.1% of all anti-LGBTQ homicide victims in 2012 were
people of color. Islan Nettles and Mark Carson, the two victims
of anti-queer violence this summer, were people of color.
Violence is just one issue that is compounded by racial injustice
you can find racism at the root of every other issue on this
list. Racial justice, or the systematic fair treatment of people of
all races, resulting in equal opportunities and outcomes for
all, is not specific to LGBT people, but true justice for LGBT
people cant be achieved if not all of us are liberated.
4. Immigrant Justice
galeriadelaraza.org
An estimated 2.7% of our nations undocumented immigrants
identify as LGBT. In fact, undocumented queer youth have been
integral to building the immigration movement. Queer folks
who are immigrants have multiple layers of experience living
between literal and figurative borders, and can help us
all dream beyond the current limitations of our immigration
system. Additionally, the deportation and detention process for
migrants is particularly pernicious for LGBT folks, who are often
the subjects of harassment and abuse. A recent report from the
National Center for Transgender Equality highlights the issues
faced by trans* migrants in particular.
5. Health
etsy.com / Via etsy.com
There exist significant disparities in health between
heterosexual and LGBT people. The Center for American
Progress identified 14 health disparities between straight and
LGBT adults in 2009. For example, 82% of heterosexual adults
had health insurance, while only 77% of LGB adults, and 57% of
transgender adults, had health insurance. Similarly, 83% of

heterosexual adults reported excellent or very good health,

compared to only 77% of LGB adults and 67% of transgender
adults. The expansion of access to health care in the U.S.
should be a priority of the LGBT movement, beyond accessing a
spouses medical plan through legalized marriage.
6. Economic Justice
sphotos-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net
Despite the popular images of wealthy LGB celebrities, many
queer and trans* people are low-income. Employment
discrimination, lack of health insurance, homelessness, and
other factors make LGBT people particularly vulnerable to the
impact of economic inequality. Gay and lesbian families
(especially the latter) are significantly more likely to be living
below the poverty line than heterosexual married families, and
children in gay and lesbian households are twice as likely to live
in poverty as compared to children in homes with heterosexual
parents. And given the legacy of racism in the U.S., the
statistics are even worse for LGBT people of color.
7. Trans* Justice
transstudent.org
Empowerment of trans* people must be central to the
movement for LGBT justice. Many trans* people live in extreme
poverty, and are almost four times more likely than
heterosexual and LGB people to have a household income of
less than $10,000 per year. 41% of trans* people have
attempted suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general
population. Trans* people are consistently abused,
discriminated against, harassed, and assaulted. Too often, the
T gets excluded from LGBT initiatives and campaigns. We
have to realize that we cant have LGBT/queer justice without
trans* justice.
These are only a few issues that deserve some attention. And
its important to note that there are already incredible

organizations focusing on these issues, such as theTGI Justice

Project, Queers for Economic Justice, and Sylvia Rivera Law
Project, just to name a few. But most of these organizations are
small and underresourced. The most funding for the LGBT
movement goes to big groups like the Human Rights Campaign,
who have a history of excluding trans* people from their work.
Its time that the organizations and leaders who set the agenda
for the mainstream LGBT movement start prioritizing the
empowerment of the most marginalized LGBT and queer
people, like trans* folks, people of color, and individuals living
in the South, Southwest, and Midwest.

Here are five issues to follow in 2015:

Safety and violence. Will 2015 be any safer for transgender
women of color than last year? Between June and December of
2014, at least 12 trans women of color were killed in brutal
incidents that police are investigating as hate crimes. The
slayings underscore the dangers that trans women of color
face, even in cities that are supposedly LGBT-friendly. A
2013 report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence
Programs found that LGBT people of color were nearly twice as
likely to experience physical violence than their white
counterparts. Transgender women made up 67 percent of antiLGBT homicides in 2013, according to the Anti-Violence Project.
Marriage equality. Same-sex marriage is now legal in 36
states, where roughly 60 percent of the country's entire
population live. As mentioned above, the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals just heard oral arguments in three challenges to bans
in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. A Washington Post-ABC
News poll found that 59 percent of African-Americans say they
support same-sex marriage, which goes against the
misconception that black communities are more homophobic
than others.

LGBT youth homelessness. According to Jai Dulani, coexecutive director of the New York City-based advocacy
organization FIERCE, youth homelessness is a key issue for
2015. Queer youth make up an estimated 40 percent of
homeless young people in the United States. The National
Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that roughly 550,000
people up to 24 years old are homeless over the course of a
year. Racial inequity shapes who becomes homeless in this
country: According to the Congressional Research Center, 32
percent of homeless youth are black, a number that's more
than double the proportion of black youth in the total
population.
"Quality of life" laws. Once they're on the street, queer youth
face stiff punishment for often petty crimes. In most states, a
minor running away from home is by itself considered a
criminal offense. Police also use condom possession as
evidence of prostitution for transgender women at higher rates
than other groups. Roughly 300,000 gay and transgender youth
are arrested or detained each year, of which more than 60
percent are black or Latino. While queer and transgender youth
make up only 5 to 7 percent of the country's overall youth
population, they make up 13 to 15 percent of young people
who are either detained or imprisoned.
Conversion therapy. The National Center for Lesbian Rights
kicked off the new year by holding a Twitter townhall
called #BornPerfect on the harmful effects of "conversion
therapy," a process designed to turn queer folks straight. These
techniques which include hypnosis, electric shock therapy and
inducing vomiting at the sight of homoerotic images. While
they have been discredited by nearly every professional
medical and psychological organization in the country, ultraconservative groups like the National Association for Research
and Therapy of Homosexuality are thriving. Just recently TLC
began airing "My Husband Is Not Gay," a reality TV show that
follows three men in heterosexual relationships who struggle
with what they call "same-sex attraction." But recipients of
conversion therapy report higher rates of depression, anxiety,
and lower self-esteem, and the practice seems especially
strong in deeply Christian communities that are prevalent in the

South. Statistics that look at conversion therapy by race are

hard to find, but advocates say that it is practiced among all
races, especially in smaller rural towns.
"What we know about the South is that it's the Bible Belt," says
Caitlin Breedlove, co-executive director of Southerners On New
Ground, an LGBT rights group based in North Carolina. "We
can't say for sure that it's a hotbed of conversion therapy, but
we do deal with conservative churches that are particularly
powerful."

Why are they opposed ?

Where are they opposed ?

LGBT Rights in India ?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in
India face legal and social difficulties not experienced by nonLGBT persons. Sexual activity between two persons of the same
sex is criminalised,[5][6] and is punishable by incarceration. India
does, however, legally recognise Hijras as a gender separate
from men or women, making the country one of the few in the
world to legally recognise a third gender.

How to overcome problems ?

Laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or
territoryeverything from legal recognition of same-sex

marriage or other types of partnerships, to the death penalty as

punishment for same-sex romantic/sexual activity or identity.

In too many countries, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and

intersex people are among the poorest, most marginalized
members of society.
We need more data to get a clear picture but we already know
that gay affluence is largely a myth. Studies show that gay and
lesbian people suffer disproportionate discrimination and
abuse. They are rejected by their families kicked out of their
homes and pushed out of school. Too many of our LGBT
brothers and sisters are jobless, homeless and struggling to
survive.
The situation of transgender people is even worse overall. They
have higher rates of homelessness, poverty and hunger.
For individuals and their families, this is a personal tragedy. And
for society, it is a shameful waste of human talent, ingenuity
and economic potential.
When the human rights of LGBT people are abused, all of us are
diminished. Every human life is precious none is worth more
than another.
We all have a sexual orientation and a gender identity, and this
shared fact means that discrimination against members of the
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, based on
sexual orientation and/ or gender identity, is an issue that
transcends that community and affects all of us.
Sexual orientation covers sexual desires, feelings, practices and
identification. Sexual orientation can be towards people of the
same or different sexes (same-sex, heterosexual or bisexual
orientation). Gender identity refers to the complex relationship
between sex and gender, referring to a person's experience of
self expression in relation to social categories of masculinity or
femininity (gender). A person's subjectively felt gender identity
may be at variance with their sex or physiological
characteristics.

However, across the globe, there remain many instances where

an individuals' sexual orientation or gender identity can lead
them to face execution, imprisonment, torture, violence or
discrimination. The range of abuse is limitless and it
contravenes the fundamental tenets of international human
rights law.
Human rights abuses based on sexual orientation or gender can
include violation of the rights of the child; the infliction of
torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (Article 5);
arbitrary detention on grounds of identity or beliefs (Article 9);
the restriction of freedom of association (Article 20) and the
denial of the basic rights of due process.
Examples include:
Execution by the state
Denial of employment, housing or health services
Loss of custody of children
Denial of asylum
Rape and otherwise torture in detention
Threats for campaigning for LGBT human rights
Regular subjection to verbal abuse
In many countries, the refusal of governments to address
violence committed against LGBT people creates a culture of
impunity where such abuses can continue and escalate
unmitigated. Often, such abuses are committed by the state
authorities themselves, with or without legal sanction.
Issues
Decriminalization
People detained or imprisoned solely because of their
homosexuality - including those individuals prosecuted for
having sex in circumstances which would not be criminal for

heterosexuals, or for their gender identity - are considered to

be prisoners of conscience and Amnesty International calls for
their immediate and unconditional release.
Amnesty International calls for the decriminalization of
homosexuality where such legislation remains, including a
review of all legislation which could result in the discrimination,
prosecution and punishment of people solely for their sexual
orientation or gender identity. All such laws should be repealed
or amended.
Marriage Equality
The right of adults to enter into consensual marriage is
enshrined in international human rights standards.
Article 16, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a
family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during
marriage and at its dissolution.
Civil marriage between individuals of the same-sex is therefore
an issue in which fundamental human rights are at stake.
Amnesty International believes that the denial of equal civil
recognition of same-sex relationships prevents many people
from accessing a range of other rights, such as rights to
housing and social security, and stigmatizes those relationships
in ways that can fuel discrimination and other human rights
abuses against people based on their sexual orientation or
gender identity.
Amnesty International opposes discrimination in civil marriage
laws on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and
calls on states to recognize families of choice, across borders
where necessary. States should not discriminate against
minority groups based on identity.
LGBT Rights
Countries

Gay Marriage Around the World

A growing number of governments around the world are
considering whether to grant legal recognition to same-sex
marriages. Nearly two dozen countries currently have national
laws allowing gays and lesbians to marry, mostly in Europe and
the Americas. In Mexico, some jurisdictions allow same-sex
couples to wed, while others do not.
India
After the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2014
elections, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has committed to protecting women from violence and
providing better access to health care and sanitation. The
government has conducted harassment and arbitrary arrests of
activists, particularly those organizing protests against
development projects, and placed increased restrictions on
funding of NGOs. Caste and religion-based discrimination is
rampant, as is longstanding impunity for abuses by security
forces. The government has expressed a commitment to
freedom of speech but Internet censorship is on the rise, as is
state censorship of controversial publications and films. The
government has failed to take strong action against
ultranationalist or extremist groups that threaten violence.