Gay Marriage Equality Pros And Cons

Over the past decade or so, the stigmatization of sexual orientation and the antigay prejudice has drastically improved when compared to progress made over the last thirty or so years. Unfortunately there is still so much progress that needs to be made in order to finally say anti-gay prejudice no longer exists, or at the very least is a minor part of our society. Even today, the prejudice against gay men and lesbians is a prominent problem in our society, even though marriage equality has officially been legalized in all fifty states. Although the marriage equality legalization across the United States is a huge leap in the right direction, we still have a long way to go. First, one must recognize that anti-gay prejudice should no longer …show more content…
Over the years, researchers have conducted surveys in which they examined the stigma of sexual orientation and whether or not homophobia is dying out in regards to new laws and regulations that now help to protect homosexual individuals. Over the last five years or so, several laws have been made to protect individuals of different sexual orientations. In 2011, the U.S. military 's "Don 't Ask, Don 't Tell" policy was abolished, allowing homosexual individuals to freely serve the country without having to hide part of who they are. In addition to the Don 't Ask, Don 't Tell policy being abolished, hate crimes based on a person 's sexual orientation or gender presentation can now be prosecuted by the federal government, even when they occur in states that lack their own hate crime policies (Herek, 2015). However, change has not been limited to just the legal aspects of sexual orientation equality but many major corporations have also implemented policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Many of these corporations have come to acknowledge that "sexual orientation diversity contributes to a high quality, creative workforce that is good for the bottom …show more content…
According to Herek and supported by a Gallup poll released in May 2015, U.S public opinion has also experienced a seismic shift in regards to acceptance of homosexuality. The Gallup poll showed that a record 60% of participants endorsed the statement that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as a traditional marriage. Although 60% may not seem that great, when compared to a Gallup poll taken just ten years prior, only 37% of respondents supported it. (Herek, 2015) brings up two very interesting points in regards to the reason for the