The Fight for Gay Rights Restrictions have been put in place on the basic human rights of homosexuals due to individuals' opinions and lack of tolerance. America is a country where all people should have the same rights, regardless of sexual preferences. Even today, gay marriage is illegal in more than thirty states (ProQuest). Homosexual people have been fighting to assert their rights for more than a hundred years now, but the issue has not yet been resolved. Marriage and gay rights didn't come into focus until the late 1990s and early 2000s. In fact, throughout the 20th century it was illegal for two people of the same sexual orientation to talk about or engage in sexual acts together (Eskridge). Gay couples began applying for marriage licenses, and the states in which they resided had no choice but to respond. Most states changed their constitutions and laws to be against gay marriage, and this is where the battle began (Rauch). People began to become paranoid about gays because of the strict laws America had put in place against them. This stereotype, created decades ago, still affects gay people today, usually in a negative way (Eskridge). For example, for many years it was actually illegal for openly gay members to participate in the United States military. America was following Clinton's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. It was only in 2011, through Barack Obama, that the policy was revoked and homosexuals were allowed to serve in the military (Dunham). Why would gay individuals want to fight in a country where they were told they were not good enough to protect America's rights, rights that they themselves did not possess? I feel like it takes a great person to look beyond the hateful d...... middle of paper ....... np Thomas Nelson Inc, 2009. Web "LGBT Adoption". Permanent adoptions. NP, 2014. Web. March 28, 2014. Parker-Pope, Tara. “How Hospitals Treat Same-Sex Couples.” Nytimes.com. Well, May 12th. 2009. Network. March 31. 2014.Price, Michael. “Nolo: Law for All”. Na, 2014. Web. March 26, 2014. ProQuest Staff. “At issue: same-sex marriage.” ProQuest LLC. 2014: page n. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 25, 2014.Rauch, Jonathan. Gay marriage. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2004. Web. “The Bill of Rights: A Transcript.” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, nd Web. March 31, 2014.Wiersma, Alisa. “High-profile politicians who have changed their stance on gay marriage.” ABC News, March 15, 2013. Web. April 1, 2014. Worsnop, Richard L. “Gay Rights.” CQ Researcher .05 March 1993: 195+. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. March 27. 2014.