Gay Pride Month 2018: A Look at LGBT Rights in the United States

When the Founding Fathers founded this country, they envisioned that everyone have the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Although it is a wonderful ideal, this country has had its share of imperfections putting it into practice. This country has been through a Civil War, Jim Crow laws, and a Civil Rights movement, and still, we are working on judging a person not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Women did not have the right to vote until 1920, and even afterwards, there was a fight for political and economic equality of the sexes. There is another group of people in this country that have been treated unfairly: the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The Stonewall riots of 1969 started the modern-day gay rights movement, but it took a lot to get where we are today. It is in that spirit that I want to take a brief look at where the LGBT community has made strides and where there can still be improvement.

As a libertarian, it should be no secret that I am all for LGBT rights and further LGBT inclusion in society. An expansion of civil liberties and economic freedom, especially for a class of people that has been marginalized, is a wonderful thing. That is why the first metric I would like to look at is same-sex marriage. In 2015, Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right covered under the Fourteenth Amendment. Prior to this case, 36 states and DC already allowed for same-sex marriage. It was a slow fight from when Massachusetts allowed for same-sex marriage in 2004, but we live in a society where same-sex couples are legally the same way as opposite-sex couples. According to Gallup, two out of three Americans support same-sex marriage. Just two decades ago, more than two out of three Americans opposed same-sex marriage.

This increased support of LGBT rights is solidified not by government fiat, but by people coming out of the closet. Homosexuality transcends race, religion, gender, political affiliation, and socio-economic status. As LGBT people came out and told their story, there was a realization for more and more heterosexuals: that they know someone who is gay, whether it is their child, their sibling, their friend, their co-worker...you get the idea. Short of some crazy, ultra-right, theocratic force taking over the government, I only see support for LGBT rights becoming stronger, not weaker.

This victory is not just in straight allies supporting the LGBT community or the legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Obergefell v. Hodges also provided the momentum for same-sex adoption. By June 2017, same-sex adoption became legal in all 50 states, which is a good thing, least of all because same-sex couples can parent just as well as opposite-sex couples. The FDA changed its blood donation policy for gay men from a lifetime ban to a one-year deferral, which is an improvement. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed in 2011, which means gay and lesbian individuals can serve openly in the military.  82 percent of Fortune 500 companies have LGBT-inclusive policies, which is a significant improvement from the 3 percent in 2002.

These have been major policy victories that show society's increased acceptance of LGBT individuals, to be sure. However, as much as I can rejoice in the progress made for the LGBT community, there is still work to be done. Anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of the homeless youth population is LGBT, primarily due to family rejection. Only 13 states protect children from the awful practice known as conversion "therapy." A 2017 report from RTI International shows with 20 years worth of data that LGBT individuals are still more likely to be victims of violence, bullying, sexual assault, and hate crimes than their heterosexual counterparts. The RTI report goes as far as saying that bullying of LGBT has not improved since the 1990s, which is sad. In 2016, the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that 1 in 4 LGBT individuals experienced discrimination. CAP's findings also include LGBT individuals needing alter their lives, whether they have to mention their romantic relationship in vague terms, avoid certain social situations, make decisions about whether to work or live, change the way they dress and talk, move to a different area, and cut out important people from their lives. Furthermore, President Trump has not exactly been pro-LGBT like he promised on the campaign trail, which rightfully has the LGBT community worried, especially after all the progress that has been made.

Gay pride month has been as much about protest and activism as it has been about celebrating victories and celebrating one's true self. In spite of who sits in the White House, I still have optimism that LGBT rights and the direction of LGBT equality will grow over time.