Burris 1

Cameron Burris
Rager- 2
HELA 10
17 February 2015
In this day in age, homosexual people face an array of serious issues. However, by how
American media portrays it, the only real issue seems to be marriage. This is a lie. Marriage is
not the end all goal, nor will sexual minorities live equally to their heterosexual counterparts
once they are able to marry. Job discrimination, physical well being, and the basic right to life are
all infinitely more pressing than the right to marry.
Employment is hard for anyone to find; in 2013, 6.2% of Americans had been unemployed for
an extended period of time (Furman). With dim prospects, it is very important for people to have
some sort of security once employed. Yet, this is not the reality for homosexual workers in
around 20 states where there are minimal legal protections and one can be fired for no other
reason than an employers personal prejudices (Stachelberg). There is hope however, as
Congress works through laws like the End Non-Discrimination Act which aims to bring justice to
the workplace for some of Americas most vulnerable employees.
While opponents of having employment protections for homosexual workers generally
argue that new legislation would infringe on their personal religious beliefs, this stance is
ludicrous because it is ones personal beliefs effectively damaging the lives of others (Sheldon).
America was originally built on the dream of the freedom to practice religion undisturbed and
peacefully, yet this dream turns to nightmare when people use their religion as a smokescreen for
hatred to interfere with the rights of others. Demanding inequality before the law on religious
grounds is about as un-American as it gets.

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Outside of the workplace, homosexual people also face many threats to their physical
well being. For example, the Centers for Disease Control reports that roughly 62% of all new
cases of HIV and AIDS is among homosexual men alone (Crary). Many afflicted do not seek
treatment either because of a combination of social stigma and ignorance. Though it is important
for all people to be informed and responsible for their health, it is clear homosexual people in
particular need to be educated on safe sexual behaviors to reduce transmissions rates.
Besides disease, homosexual people like many other groups are subject to hate crime.
Although according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics only 15% of hate crimes are
attributed to homophobia, only 45% of all hate crimes are ever reported to police (Langton).
Furthermore, since homosexual people make up such a small percentage of the population;
definitely not more than 15%, then in reality they actually face a high hate crime ratio in relative
terms to their population. The physical well being of homosexual people is an issue too large to
be overshadowed by marriage.
Obviously, the struggle homosexual people face is not confined to America by any stretch
of the imagination, and in some cases is much worse. While most are familiar with
institutionalized homophobia in countries like Russia, many are blind to the injustices in certain
South American, African and Middle Eastern countries. Latoya Nugent, an activist in Jamaica
reports seeing members of the LGBT community being stoned, stabbed, shot, run over and
beaten by angry mobs (Watts). Similar horrors are echoed in Uganda by Frank Mugisha who
recounts seeing homosexual people being savagely beaten and goes on to discuss current
Ugandan law which might soon include the death penalty for homosexuals (Watts). In
Afghanistan, Nemat Sadat, a professor talks of police brutality and censorship towards
homosexuals (Watts). Though these personal accounts may give a bleak outlook on the future for

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homosexual people in certain parts of the world, it is a reality that must be faced. The right to life
will always be more important than the right to marry.
At the end of the day, it is a good thing to support same-sex marriage, yet it is by no means the
most pressing issue. America in particular needs to realize this, because after all, what is the
point of being one of the most influential countries in the world if it is to just sit there
complacently? Americans need to come together as a country and see that protecting homosexual
people at home and abroad is an important matter. Humanity has a duty to itself to constantly
seek progress, for the benefit and happiness of all.

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Works Cited
Crary, David. "Beyond Marriage, Other Gay-Rights Challenges Loom." San Francisco
Chronicle. 11 Oct. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
Langton, Lynn, and Michael Planty. "Hate Crime, 2003-2009." BUREAU OF JUSTICE
STATISTICS SPECIAL REPORT. Jun. 2011: 1-10. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 17 Feb.
2015.
Furman, Jason, and Jeff Zients. "Long-Term Unemployment Is Falling, but Still Work to Do."
WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE. 01 Sep. 2014: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 17 Feb.
2015.
Stachelberg, Winnie, and Louis P. Sheldon. "Q: Should Congress Expand Federal Protections of
Gays in the..." Insight on the News. April 1-8 2002: 40-43. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Feb.
2015.
Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "Dealt a Victory in Court, Advocates for Gay Rights Focus on a New..."
New York Times. 08 Oct. 2014: A.16. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
Watts, Jonathan, et al. "Over the Rainbow." The Guardian. 16 Nov. 2013: 43. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.