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Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights

The average American does not realize that that it is legal to discriminate against another American on the basis of sexual orientation. A Greenberg Research poll in 1996 found that 85 percent of Americans did not know that federal civil rights laws do not prohibit firing a person solely on the basis of sexual orientation. Current laws do not provide a remedy to gay and lesbian citizens who seek legal protection. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that no state shall "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws," meaning that citizens in similar circumstances should be treated alike. Only actions that aim to discriminate violate Equal Rights Protection. To use this as a defense when treated unfairly, one must prove intentional discrimination, not just negligence.

The gay and lesbian civil rights movement presses for fairness in...