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Yes. When people lobby for "gay rights" they are asking that gay people be afforded the same legal rights as people who are not gay. The present legal situation in the United States is one of legal inequality. If gay people had the same legal rights as non-gay people then they would have equal civil rights.
Marriage is a civil legal status in the United States that automatically provides married people with hundreds of state and federal legal rights such as rights of inheritance and property rights. Because of those automatically acquired legal rights, many people view marriage as a civil right.
While religious officials are permitted by the government to perform the marriage ceremony along with many other minor and major public officials, judges, ships' captains, and any private citizen who applies for a one-day permit in many jurisdictions, the couple must obtain a civil marriage license from their town or county clerk's office and the person who performs the marriage must sign it.
- A marriage performed by religious clergy without a civil marriage license is not valid.
- Having children is not a requirement for obtaining a marriage license in any jurisdiction in the United States.
- Being divorced and remarried numerous times does not affect the right to be legally married.
- A woman and man who decide to formalize their close, loving relationship and form a family unit can marry and automatically acquire that host of legal rights that are only available to married people.
- Once married, an opposite sex marriage is recognized by every other state and the federal government.
Two people of the same sex who want to formalize their relationship and create a family unit cannot do so in most states and cannot avail themselves of any federal benefits that accompany marriage even if they marry in a state that recognizes same sex marriage. They are barred because of their sex and that is their only difference from the opposite sex couple mentioned above.
Several states now recognize same sex marriage and civil marriage in those states bestows all those state legal rights on legally married couples regardless of their sexual orientation.
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Are gay rights civil rights?
Yes, they are absolutely a civil rights issue. All people should be treated equally under the law.
How did the civil rights movement affect the gay rights movement?
The language of the civil rights movement has been used to fight the opposition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. The civil rights movement did not directly affect the gay rights movement, but it did influence some on how they could make their secret open and accepted by others. This eventually became known as Gay Liberation. It may sound similar to Women Liberation, the movement where women wanted rights to vote, get abortions, and have the same pay as men. Another term, Gay Power, originally came from the term Black Power which was part of the civil rights movement.
What type of movement is gay rights?
It is a civil rights movement.
How does the campaign for gay rights differ from prior civil rights campaigns?
The difference is that most of the opposition to gay rights believes being gay is a choice (and a bad one at that). No one in the racial civil rights era believed being Black was a choice.
What were feminism and gay rights called?
They were two branches of the Civil Rights Movement
Does Ross Perot support same-sex civil unions?
Ross Perot supported gay rights in the 1990s, but has not specifically stated in public that he supports civil unions.
What are the 3 milestone events of the Civil Rights movement?
Rights for the elderly, rights for americans with disabilites, rights for Gay americans
What is Barack Obama's policy on gay rights and same-sex marriage?
I believe Mr. Obama supports full civil rights for gays and lesbians, including the legalization of and federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
How many civil rights are gay people excluded from?
It varies by state.
Do same-sex marriage bans deny civil rights or civil liberties?
They deny civil rights.
What is the difference between a gay person's individual rights and the public good?
Denying basic civil rights to gay people does not add anything to the public good. However, extending equal civil rights to everyone improves the quality of life for all.
If Barack Obama supports equal rights then how come he is against gay civil partnerships?
He is against gay civil partnerships because they are not equal to marriage. Equal rights means full marriage for all gay people, and Barack Obama supports this idea.
