| Part ofa series on |
| LGBTQ rights |
|---|
 |
| Lesbian ∙Gay ∙Bisexual ∙Transgender ∙Queer |
Overview |
 LGBTQ portal |
Opposition tolegal rights forlesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender, andqueer (LGBTQ) people exists worldwide. Opponents ofLGBTQ rights may object to thedecriminalization of homosexuality, laws permittingcivil unions or partnerships,same-sex parenting andadoption, the inclusion ofLGBTQ people in the military, access toassisted reproductive technology, andgender-affirming surgery andhormone therapy fortransgender individuals.
Organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights often resist the enactment of laws legalizingsame-sex marriage, the passage of anti-discrimination legislation aimed at curbingdiscrimination against LGBTQ people (including in employment and housing), the adoption of anti-bullying laws to protect LGBTQ minors, the decriminalization ofsame-gender relationships, and other related laws.[1] These groups are oftenreligious orsocially conservative in nature.[2][3][4][5] Such opposition can be motivated byhomophobia,[1][4]transphobia,[1][4]bigotry,[1][3][4] animosity,[1][3][4][6]religion,[2][3][4][5]moral beliefs,[2][3][4][5]political ideologies,[2][3][4][5] or other factors.
According to theStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "natural law theory offers the most common intellectual defense for differential treatment of gays and lesbians".[7]Dag Øistein Endsjø, a Norwegian scholar and professor ofreligious studies, and theUnited Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, have stated that religious belief underpins most forms of opposition to LGBTQ rights.[8]
The first organizedgay rights movement arose in the late nineteenth century in Germany.[9]
In the 1920s and into the early 1930s, there wereLGBTQ communities in cities like Berlin; German-Jewish sexologistMagnus Hirschfeld was one of the most notable spokespeople for LGBTQ rights at this time. When the Nazi party came to power in 1933, one of the party's first acts was to burn down Hirschfeld'sInstitut für Sexualwissenschaft, where many prominent Nazis had been treated for perceived sexual problems.[10][11] Initially tolerant to the homosexuality ofErnst Röhm and his followers, manygay men were purged from the Nazi Party following theNight of the Long Knives and theSection 175 Laws began to be enforced again, with gay men interned inconcentration camps by 1938.[a]
Under theNazi rule in Germany, the dismantling of rights for LGBTQ individuals was approached in two ways. By strengthening and re-enforcing existing laws that had fallen into disuse, male homosexuality was effectively re-criminalised; homosexuality was treated as a medical disorder, but at a social level rather than individual level intended to reduce the incidence of homosexuality. The treatment was a program ofeugenics, starting withsterilisation, then a system of working people to death in forced labour camps, and eventually refined by medical scientists to includeeuthanasia. The driving force was the elimination of perceiveddegeneracy at various levels – genetic, social, identity and practice, and the elimination of such genetic material in society. Lifton wrote about this in his bookThe Nazi Doctors:[12]
[...] sexology and defense of homosexuality [...] were aspects of "sexual degeneration, a breakdown of the family and loss of all that is decent," and ultimately the destruction of the German Folk. [...] medicine was to join in the great national healing mission, and the advance image of what Nazi doctors were actually to become: the healer turned killer. [...] Sterilization policies were always associated with the therapeutic and regenerative principles of the biomedical vision: with the "purification of the national body" and the "eradication of morbid hereditary dispositions." Sterilization was considered part of "negative eugenics" [...][13]
It is argued that the number of gay people who perished in the Holocaust was quite low in comparison to otherHolocaust victims, and confined to Germany itself, based on estimates that of 50,000 gay people who came before the courts, between 5,000 and 15,000[14][15] ended up in concentration camps. However, many of those who came before the courts were directed (or volunteered) to undergo sterilisation/castration; they would be included with others who, in line with the historic shift in German society (that started withWestphal, and developed throughKrafft-Ebing toMagnus Hirschfeld, of homosexuality being seen as having a neurological, endocrinological or genetic basis), were treated for homosexuality as a medical rather than criminal matter.
After theSecond World War, theUnited States became more intolerant of homosexuality,[16] but many gay men and lesbians decided to reveal their gay identities after meeting others in the military.[17] Many gay bars and villages were created, and a whole gaysubculture formed.[17] Campaigns for gay rights began to develop, initially in the UK.[18] Towards the end of the 1960s homosexuality began to be decriminalised and de-medicalised in areas such as the UK, New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe, in the context of thesexual revolution andanti-psychiatry movements. Organized opposition to gay and lesbian rights began in the 1970s.[19]
Societal attitudes towards homosexuality vary greatly in different cultures and different historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their ownnorms regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexuality; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality, while others disapprove of such activities.[20]
According to The 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, "Throughout Western Europe and much of the Americas, there is widespread tolerance towards homosexuality. However, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Israel stand apart from other wealthy nations on this issue; in each of these countries, fewer than half of those surveyed say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Meanwhile, in most of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, there is less tolerance toward homosexuality."[21]
However, a 2012CNN poll showed that a majority of Americans favor gay rights such as same-sex marriage.[22] In late 2015, a poll of Japanese people also found that a majority supported same-sex marriage.[23]
According to one study, opposition to transgender rights was correlated with a preference for obedience and conformity regardless of partisan affiliation.[24]
 | This sectionis written like apersonal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. Pleasehelp improve it by rewriting it in anencyclopedic style.(July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Many religions, including ones within the Eastern faiths andAbrahamic faiths, do not support homosexual sex.Evangelical Christianity,[25]Catholicism,[26]Mormonism,[27]Orthodox Judaism,[28] andIslam[29] view homosexual sex as asin and hold that its practice and acceptance in society weakens moral standards.
.jpg)
Passages in theOld Testament that prohibit man to "lie with mankind as with womankind"[b] and the story ofSodom and Gomorrah have historically been interpreted as condemningsodomy. SeveralPauline passages have also been cited against male and female homosexuality.[c] Christians who take a conservative position on homosexuality endorse this reading of these passages in the belief that God is against same-sex sexual activity, while Christians who take a liberal position believe that these same passages refer to more specific situations, such as pedophilia,[30] rape or abuse, and not homosexuality.[31] The largest Christian body, theCatholic Church, condemns homosexual acts as "gravely sinful" and "intrinsically disordered".[32][33] The second-largest Christian body, theEastern Orthodox Church, also condemns homosexual behaviour, as do many denominations ofProtestantism.
Within the Catholic Church, the theory ofnatural law has been employed by philosophers and theologians to justify its condemnation of homosexual behaviour.[34] The theologianThomas Aquinas maintained that homosexual practice was contrary to natural law, arguing that the primary natural end of the sexual act was procreation, and since said procreation is carried out from a process of sexual fertilization between a man and a woman, homosexual sex is contrary to the very end of said act.[35]
Sodomy is regarded as criminal and forbidden in mostIslamic countries, according toSharia law, and officially carries thedeath penalty inSaudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates,Iran,Brunei,Mauritania,Nigeria, andYemen.[36][37]
It carries the death penalty inAfghanistan under theTaliban.[38] InEgypt, openly gay men have been prosecuted under general public morality laws.[d] On the other hand, homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1858.[39]
In Saudi Arabia, the maximum punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments – e.g., fines, jail time, andflagellation – as alternatives, unless it feels that LGBTQ individuals are challenging state authority by engaging inLGBTQ social movements.[40] Iran is perhaps the nation to execute the largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since the 1979Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4,000 people charged with homosexual acts.[41] Even though homosexuality is widespread amongst thePashtun ethnic group in southern Afghanistan,[42] after the fall of the Taliban, homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that is punished with fines, prison sentences, andvigilante violence.[citation needed]
Most international human rights organizations, such asHuman Rights Watch andAmnesty International, condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults a crime. Muslim nations insist that such laws are necessary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Of the nations with a majority of Muslim inhabitants where homosexuality is criminalized, only Lebanon and Tunisia have organizations which are trying to get homosexuality legalized.[43]
Among thereligions that originated in India, includingHinduism,Buddhism,Jainism andSikhism, teachings regarding homosexuality are less clear than among the Abrahamic traditions. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, homosexuality is not a 'sin' in Hindu philosophy,[44] while in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama has stated that male-female relationships are intended by nature, though without condemning same-sex relationships.[45] Gender-specific Temples like Aravan worship are dedicated to celebrate the non-heteronormative diverse Indigenous gender & sexuality in Hinduism.[46] In 2005, the Head Cleric of theAkal Takht condemned same-sex marriages.[47][48] Hinduism is diverse, with no supreme governing body which allows people of diverseSOGIESC communities to marry under Hindu Marriage Law 1951.[49][50][51]
Scientology founderL. Ron Hubbard classified homosexuality as a mental illness andparaphilia (then known as "sexual perversion"), citing contemporary psychiatric and psychological textbooks to support his view.[52] Gay people are designated a 1.1. on Hubbard'semotional tone scale, and Hubbard urged society to tackle the issue of "sexual perversion" (including homosexuality), calling it "of vital importance, if one wishes to stop immorality, and the abuse of children." In his bookScience of Survival, Hubbard called for drastic action to be taken, saying that: "Such people should be taken from the society as rapidly as possible and uniformly institutionalized; for here is the level of the contagion of immorality, and the destruction of ethics; here is the fodder which secret police organizations use for their filthy operations."[53]
A 2004 article in theSt. Petersburg Times reported that the Scientology defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman.[54] After 35 years of being a Scientologist, film producer and directorPaul Haggis publicly quit theChurch of Scientology over the organization's position on gay rights and a showdown with the Church's spokesperson over the2008 California Proposition 8 on same-sex marriage.[55]
| This sectionis written like apersonal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. Pleasehelp improve it by rewriting it in anencyclopedic style.(July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
A 2014 report prepared by theUnited Kingdom, under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government of 2010–2015, raised concerns about LGBTQ treatment inBelarus:
The LGBT community suffered increased harassment from the [Belarusian] regime in 2013. The Ministry of Justice denied registration to LGBT groups, and members of the LGBT community were regularly targeted by the security forces and brought in for questioning. The authorities threatened to stigmatise them by informing their colleagues, families, or friends of their sexual orientation. Gay clubs in Minsk and Vitebsk were raided, and those present were filmed and had their details collected. The clubs were then closed down.Gay Pride week in Minsk was disrupted by the authorities who forced owners of venues, where events were due to be held, to withdraw at the last minute. Those events that did take place were raided by the police, and a request for a march through the city was turned down by the authorities.
— "LGBT rights",Corporate Report: Belarus – Country of Concern, (UKForeign and Commonwealth Office, October 2014)[56]
On 8 July 2023, over 2,000 anti-LGBTQ+ protesters violently disrupted the LGBTQ+ Pride festival in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Homophobia remains widespread in Georgia, and several journalists were attacked during similar protests in Tbilisi two years ago.[57]
On 6 October 1860, sodomy was legally forbidden inIndia according to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.[58] This was ruled unconstitutional in 2009 by the Delhi High Court, but reaffirmed on 11 December 2013 by a Supreme Court ruling.[59]It was again legalised by the Supreme Court on 6 September 2018.[60]
Traditionally, Indonesians arequite tolerant towards LGBTQ people who keep quiet and stay discreet about their private lives.[61] However, this level of tolerance is not extended towards the LGBTQ rights movements, which has faced fierce condemnation in the public sphere from Indonesian authorities. A wave of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric began in January 2016 when Higher Education MinisterMohamad Nasir said LGBTQ people should be barred from university campuses.[62] The Minister called for a ban on gay groups on university campuses after a group ofUniversity of Indonesia (UI) students established a counselling and support group called the Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies (SGRC).[63] The group was meant as a counselling service, resource centre and support group on sexuality and gender issues, especially for LGBTQ youth and students, who often suffer from abuses, harassment, violence and discrimination regarding their gender and sexuality. SGRC sees LGBTQ people as human beings who need a friend and protection. The group, which sought to advocate for those who suffer from gender-based violence, explained that they do not "turn" or "encourage" people to begay, nor had they tried to "cure" gay people.[64] Amid the heat of the issue, the University of Indonesia refused to be held responsible for SGRC's actions and announced the group was not an officially registered student organisation.[63] Another official pressured smartphone instant-messaging services to drop gay and lesbian-themed emoji, prompting one company to comply.[65]
Muhammadiyah, said it would not issue any edict condemning members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, Muhammadiyah's secretary-general, Abdul Mukti said. Muhammadiyah considered LGBTQ expression immoral, but that publicly condemning people affiliated with those identities and orientations would not help them return to normalcy.[66] Other religious groups, such asChristianity and specificallyRoman Catholicism, have expressed their rejection of LGBTQ rights in Indonesia. Indonesian Catholic authorities have reiterated that Catholicism does not recognisesame-sex marriage but assured that, despite their perceived transgressions, LGBTQ people should be protected and not harmed.[67]
The Indonesia Psychiatric Association (PDSKJI) classifies homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism asmental disorders. Referring toLaw No.18/2014 on Mental Health and the association's Mental Health and Mental Disorder Diagnostic Guidelines, the PDSKJI categorises homosexual and bisexual Indonesians as "people with psychiatric problems" and transgender people as having "mental disorders".[68]
Some military figures have used conspiracy theory rhetoric. Defense MinisterRyamizard Ryacudu called the LGBTQ movement a "proxy war" tobrainwash Indonesians, and claimed that it received "foreign funding",[62] pointing to funds fromUnited Nations organisations likeUNAIDS or Western governments and foundations.
There have been a few incidents of LGBTQ people being harassed. LGBTQ groups are now working on setting up safe houses and draw up evacuation plans in case of need. InYogyakarta, in February 2016, 23 LGBTQ activists were roughed up by police, who told local media they stopped them from holding a rally to avoid a clash with a hardline Muslim group holding an anti-LGBTQ protest nearby.[62]
The chair of thePeople's Consultative Assembly,Zulkifli Hasan mentioned in a statement that, "As a movement, the existence of LGBTQ must be opposed. We must limit its room to move. However, as individual people, they must be protected like any other citizen."[69] Anthropologist Sharyn Graham Davies commented that the main focus of this opposition was that sexual and gender diversity may be tolerated but as long as LGBTQ people remain invisible in the Indonesian society and did not form a visible movement.[70][71] On the other hand, amid fierce hostilities, some officials – including formerGovernor of Jakarta,Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and former Political, Legal, and Security Affairs MinisterLuhut Binsar Panjaitan — have defended the LGBTQ community. "Whoever they are, wherever they work, he or she continues to be an Indonesian citizen. They have the right to be protected as well," Panjaitan said.[62] PresidentJoko Widodo has also expressed support for LGBTQ rights and has called on an end to discrimination.[72]
Same-sex relationships in Malaysia arecriminalised. In 2018, Malaysian LGBTQ people faced government-enforced clampdowns.[73]
Opposition toLGBTQ rights in Poland comes mainly from right-wing politics, such as the ruling in 2015-2023Law and Justice party, and from theCatholic Church in Poland, in which a majority of Poles are members. According toILGA-Europe's 2020 report, Poland ranks the lowest of European Union countries for LGBTQ rights. According to some opinion polls, opposition to LGBTQ rights has been diminishing, with support forcivil partnerships rising from 52% in 2017 to 60% in 2019. The number of Poles who say that homosexuality should not be accepted in society dropped from 41% in 2001 to 24% in 2019.[74][75]
Opposition to the LGBTQ rights movement is very prevalent inRussia, including within theKremlin. PresidentVladimir Putin enacted laws in 2012 which criminalised education about LGBTQ issues, calling it "gay propaganda". It banned telling minors that homosexuality was normal or natural.[76] This was opposed by some nations with many members of the public in the U.S. and Western Europe calling for aboycott of the2014 Winter Olympics inSochi. However, President Putin assured that all athletes would be respected, regardless of their sexuality[77] and in the event, no boycott occurred.[78]
The law passed has been described as taking Russia's LGBTQ community "from being a stigmatized fringe group to full-blownenemies of the state", and has been described as a major contributor to a wave of anti-gay violence by severalneo-Nazi organisations (such asOccupy Paedophilia), which target gay teens online and meet up with them, posting on YouTube their acts of assault against the LGBTQ teens, which have even resulted in the death of several LGBTQ teens in Russia, which are rarely investigated by the authorities, defining them as "civil movements fighting the sins of society".[76]
Sweden has seen increased opposition to LGBTQ rights throughanti-gender campaigns. Scholars have documented how Sweden, despite its reputation as a gender-equal country, is increasingly affected by what has been termed "insidiousde-democratization," a process in which small but cumulative political and discursive shifts erodeliberal democratic norms by marginalizing already vulnerable groups such as trans people.[79]
Anti-LGBTQ and anti-gender rhetoric in Sweden is promoted by a range of actors, including the far-rightSweden Democrats andChristian Democrats, who have opposed legal reforms strengthening transgender rights.[80] These parties frame their opposition in terms of protecting women’s rights and Swedish values. At the same time, anti-gender views have also gained ground among some radical feminist groups that identify as “gender-critical.” One prominent example is theSwedish Women's Lobby (SWL), which in recent years has been criticized by scholars and civil society groups for adopting trans-exclusionary positions.[81][80][79] In 2025, SWL launched theWomen's Platform for Action International (WoPAI), an international network promoting "sex-based rights" and opposing what it calls a "pro-gender movement", a "queer agenda" and the concept ofgender identity.[82]
The increasing normalization of anti-gender discourse has also coincided with growing political violence and intimidation, particularly directed at trans advocates. This includes online harassment, threats, and public vilification. Researchers argue that such violence, both symbolic and physical, plays a central role in silencing dissent and undermining democratic participation.[79]
In 1988, theConservative Party, who werein government at the time, enactedSection 28 which stated thatlocal authorities must not "intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" and thatmaintained schools should not "promote the teaching [...] of the acceptability of homosexuality", describing families with gay parents as being in a "pretended family relationship".[83] Research on the effect of suppressing information about sexuality awareness in schools showed a correspondence with increases in the level of homophobic bullying by peers, as well as increased incidence in depression and suicide amongst LGBTQ people trying to come to terms with their sexuality.[84] In 1987, Thatcher also declared that "hard left education authorities and extremist teachers" were indoctrinating the nation by teaching the younger generation "political slogans", "anti-racist mathematics" and telling their pupils that they have an "inalienable right to be gay", rather than "taught to respect traditional moral values".[85] She then went on to say that "all of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life—yes cheated!"[85]
In 2003, despite opposition from socially liberal Conservatives such as later prime ministerDavid Cameron,[86] Section 28 was repealed by theLabour government underTony Blair.[87]
In June 2009, Cameron, whilst campaigning for the 2010 general election, formally apologised for his party introducing the law, stating that it was a mistake and had been offensive to gay people.[88][89]
In 2013,same-sex marriage was legalised under Cameron's premiership (despite his government voting against it)[90] which Cameron described as "an important step forward" and said that he thought that "it is right that gay people should be able to get married too".[91]
As of 2010, the largest voice against LGBTQ equality in the UK came from theChurch of England over the issue of same-sex marriage. Labour passed into law in 2005 the ability for same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships, but they could not take place in a church or be called a "marriage". The Church of England opposed the-then coalition Government's plans (this government came to an end in May 2015) to extend this to "full marriage rights."[92]
TheBritish National Party has shifted its platform from recriminalisation to an extension ofsection 28-style legislation, i.e. making it illegal to portray homosexuality positively in the media.[93] In 1999, theAdmiral Duncan pub, a gay bar inLondon'sSoho, was targeted up as part of a terrorist campaign by a formerNational Socialist Movement andBritish National Party (BNP) member,David Copeland; three people were killed, and seventy maimed or injured by a nail bomb detonated in the pub.[94]
In the 1950s in theUnited States, open homosexuality was taboo. Legislatures in every state had passed laws against homosexual behavior well before this, most notablyanti-sodomy laws. During theCold War politicians frequently described homosexuals as "subversives" who undermined national security and patriotism, and described them asCommunist sympathisers or a CommunistFifth column. During theLavender Scare,Joseph McCarthy used accusations of homosexuality as asmear tactic.[95] SenatorKenneth Wherry publicized fears thatJoseph Stalin had obtained a list of closeted homosexuals in positions of power fromAdolf Hitler, which he believed Stalin intended to use to blackmail these men into working against the U.S. for the Soviet regime.[96] In the1950 report produced by a Senate subcommittee titled "Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government" said that "the pervert is easy prey to the blackmailer... It is an accepted fact among intelligence agencies that espionage organizations the world over consider sex perverts who are in possession of or have access to confidential material to be prime targets where pressure can be exerted." Along with that security-based concern, the report found homosexuals unsuitable for government employment because "those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons. In addition, there is an abundance of evidence to sustain the conclusion that indulgence in acts of sex perversion weakens the moral fiber of an individual to a degree that he is not suitable for a position of responsibility."[97] McCarthy andRoy Cohn more often used the secrets of closeted gay American politicians as tools for blackmail than did foreign powers.[98]
The modern roots of theChristian right's views onsexual matters were evident in the years 1950s–1960s, a period in which manyconservativeChristians in the United States viewed sexual promiscuity as not only excessive, but in fact as a threat to their ideal vision of the country.[99]: 30
Beginning in the 1970s, conservative Christian protests against promiscuity began to surface, largely as a reaction to the "permissive Sixties" and an emerging prominence of sexual rights arising fromRoe v. Wade and theLGBTQ rights movement. The Christian right proceeded to make sexuality issues a priority political cause.[99]: 28 Anita Bryant organizedSave Our Children, a widespread campaign to oppose legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis ofsexual orientation inMiami-Dade County, Florida.[1] The group argued that gay people were "recruiting" or "molesting children" in order to make them gay.[1] Bryant infamously claimed that "As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children," and also claimed that "If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters."[100] The Bryant campaign achieved success in repealing some city anti-discrimination laws, and proposed other citizen initiatives such as afailed California ballot question designed to ban gay people or those who supported LGBTQ rights from holding public teaching jobs. Bryant's campaign attracted widespread opposition andboycotts which put her out of business and destroyed her reputation.
From the late 1970s onwards, someconservativeChristian organizations such as theChristian Broadcasting Network,Focus on the Family,Concerned Women for America, theAmerican Family Association, and theChristian Coalition of America, along with right-wing Christian hate groups such as theWestboro Baptist Church, have been outspoken against LGBTQ rights.[2][3][101][102] Late in 1979, anew religious revival among conservativeEvangelical Protestants andRoman Catholics ushered in theRepublican coalition politically aligned with theChristian right that would reign in the United States between the years 1970s and 1980s, becoming another obstacle for the progress of theLGBTQ rights movement.[2][3][101][102]
During theHIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, LGBTQ communities were furtherstigmatized as they became the focus ofmass hysteria, sufferedisolation andmarginalization, and were targeted withextreme acts of violence.[103] The Christian right champions itself as the "self-appointed conscience of American society". During the 1980s, the movement was largely dismissed by political pundits and mainstream religious leaders as "a collection of buffoonish has-beens". Later, it re-emerged, better organized and more focused, taking firm positions against abortion, pornography, sexual deviancy, and extreme feminism.[104][105]: 4
.jpg)
Influential Christian right organizations were at the forefront of the anti-gay rights movement in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s, including Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and theFamily Research Institute.[106][99]: 15–16 An important stratagem in Christian right anti-gay politics is in its rejection of "the edicts of a Big Brother" state, allowing it to profit from "a general feeling of discontent and demoralization with government". As a result, the Christian right has endorsed smaller government, restricting its ability to arbitrate in disputes regarding values and traditions. In this context, gay rights laws have come to symbolize the government's allegedly unconstitutional "[interference] with individual freedom".[99]: 170–171
The central tenets of Focus on the Family and similar organizations, such as the Family Research Council, emphasise issues such as abortion and the necessity of gender roles. A number of organizations, including the New Christian Right, "have in various ways rejected liberal America in favor of the regulation of pornography, anti-abortion legislation, the criminalization of homosexuality, and the virtues of faithfulness and loyalty in sexual partnerships", according to sociologistBryan Turner.[107]
During thepresidency of Donald Trump, some Christian conservatives refrained from engaging in debates about sexual morality.[108] However, beginning in the early-2020s, ananti-LGBTQ movement occurred in the United States, heavily focused on transgender Americans. Thisconservativepolitical backlash againstLGBTQ rights includedbathroom use restrictions,bans on gender transition,"don't say gay" laws,laws against drag performances,book bans,boycotts, andconspiracy theories around grooming.[109]
Public opinion has shifted towards increased acceptance of homosexuality and equal rights for gays and lesbians since the late 1970s. According to the Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans who think that same-sex relations between consenting adults should be legal increased from 43% in 1977 to 59% in 2007.[110] In 1977, 56% of Americans thought that gay people should have equal rights in terms of job opportunities. As of 2007[update], that number has risen to 89%.[110] In 1982, 34% thought that homosexuality should be considered "an acceptable alternative lifestyle". As of 2007[update], that number is 54%.[110] In 1997, 27% of Americans thought thatsame-sex marriages should be legally valid. That number is 46% as of 2007[update]. In 1977, 13% of Americans thought that sexual orientation is "something a person is born with"; as of 2007[update], that percentage increased to 42%.[110] A poll conducted in 2013 showed a record high of 58% of the Americans supporting legal recognition for same-sex marriage.[111][112] In April 2015, a Washington Post-ABC News poll showed that 61% of Americans supported same-sex marriage and a similar share were against state-by-state legalization.[113]
Numerous studies have investigated the prevalence of acceptance and disapproval of homosexuality and have consistently found correlations with various demographic, psychological, and social variables. For example, studies (mainly conducted in the United States) have found that heterosexuals with positive attitudes towards homosexuality are more likely to be non-religious, politically liberal or moderate, young, female and have close personal contact withopenly gay men and lesbians.[e][114] and are less likely to support traditional gender roles.[115]
Homosexual activity was a reason for expulsion from the United States Armed Forces from their very beginning, although that was not codified until 1920.[116] The "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy that began in 1994 barred the military from questioning people about their sexual orientation, but maintained the barring of service members who hadcome out. The barring of homosexuals was removed altogether in December 2010 by PresidentBarack Obama.[117]
Even beforeDADT was established, advocates for allowing gay people toopenly serve pointed out that neitherunit cohesion nor morale were affected when theUK admitted gay people into the military. A similar comparison has been made to the lack of negative consequences when African-Americans and women were admitted into the military.[118]
TheBoy Scouts of America now accepts gay and bisexual people in its organizations. Previously, there was an exclusion enforced commonly for Scoutmasters, but also for scouts in leadership positions. Their rationale was that homosexuality is immoral and that Scouts are expected to have certainmoral standards and values, as theScout Oath andScout Law requires boys to be "morally straight".[119] The Boy Scout organization did not view their policy as unjustlydiscriminatory, but instead defends their policy saying that, "Tolerance for diversity of values does not require abdication of one's own values".[120]
In 2000 theUnited States Supreme Court ruled inBoy Scouts of America v. Dale that the Boy Scouts of America is aprivate organization, and as such can decide its own membership rules.[121] There is still a movement to try to persuade the organization to change its policy or allow local chapters to decide for themselves.[122]
In 2005, theU.S. Congress passed theSupport Our Scouts Act of 2005 to exempt the BSA from anti-discrimination laws, to require theDepartment of Defense to support scoutingJamborees (thus rendering ineffective a Federal Court injunction prohibiting this as anunconstitutionalestablishment of religion in violation of theFirst Amendment) and to requirestate or local governments that receive Community Development Block Grant money from theDepartment of Housing and Urban Development to allow BSA to have meetings in their facilities or on their property.[123]
The BSA historically has received much of its funding and support from religious groups noted for their opposition to thegay rights movement.[124] Some BSA local councils found thatUnited Way's, municipalities', school districts' and businesses' support and funding was reduced because of their adherence to the BSA's policy on sexual orientation.[125] In order to continue receiving funding, local councils like New Jersey signed nondiscrimination agreements contrary to BSA National Council policy.[126][127] Other outdoor-focused, youth-based organizations such as the4-H club andGirl Scouts of the USA do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
In most countries where Boy Scouts organizations exist homosexuality is not regarded as incompatible with scout values, and gay members are not excluded from activities;[128] this includes theUnited Kingdom, where scouting was founded byBaden-Powell.
In July 2015, the Boy Scouts' executive board voted to end the ban on adult leaders who are openly gay.[129]
That religious beliefs lie at the heart of most of the opposition to LGBT rights is a generally known fact. As the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief noted in 2017, 'in certain States where religion has been given 'official' or privileged status, other fundamental rights of individuals – especially women, religious minorities, and members of the LGBTI community – are disproportionately restricted or vitiated under threat of sanctions as a result of obligatory observation of State-imposed religious orthodoxy.'
...not ten percent of those men who, in 1933, took the fate of Germany into their hands, were sexually normal
American social scientists employed to help troops understand the local culture reported that homosexual sex was widespread among the Pashtun ethnic group in southern Afghanistan. Strict separation of men and women, coupled with poverty and the significant expense of getting married, contributed to young men turning to each other for sexual companionship.
Scientology Positions: Gay marriage - Scientologists recognize marriage as a part of the second of eight dynamics of existence. The second dynamic includes all creative activity, including sex, procreation and child rearing. The Scientology marriage ceremony is traditional and addresses a union between a man and a woman.
Section 28 was later removed from the statute book by Tony Blair's Labour government in 2003.
Quotations related toOpposition to LGBTQ rights at Wikiquote
