Gay Rights Movement: A Revolutionary Change in U.S Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the United States, the social reform movements' history has led to revolutionary changes for a given group of people in the society, which tend to alter the lives of those people and change the societal views. The gay rights movement is one of the movements in the U.S that has led to such a change (Doan, Loehr, & Miller, 2014). Over the past, the gay community had their lives cloaked in secrecy. However, in the contemporary world, the group is proud to declare their sexuality and sexual orientation openly. Additionally, the movement has made it easy to accomplish substantial legal victories by overturning any laws, which may punish gay lifestyles, and establish the appropriate legal protections for the people in the gay community. The group consists of lesbians, bisexuals, homosexuals, heterosexuals, and transgendered persons.

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Ideally, social institutions in society have led to the oppression of the gay community based on race and gender. As such, some of the lesbians and gay men find it difficult to expose and openly talk about their sexual identities. In this aspect, they are forced to live in the closet. Such institutions view homosexual relationships to bring some sense of immorality in society. In the past, most Americans did not tolerate same-sex relationships as the lesbians and gays were told about their sexual orientation as being wrong and a pervasive act. Such societal views made the gay community to live double lives by ensuring that their sexuality remained a secret since they were avoiding prosecution and harassment (Weber, & King, 2014).

Conversely, due to the sociological theory and changing social imagination, the support for same-sex marriage in the U.S has increased substantially. In this aspect, the young informants articulate same-sex marriage in ways characterizing homosexuality to be a form of identity as opposed to the older informants who consider it as behavior. The image of young people has been used to replace that of the older ones, and the latter is seen to change their attitudes (Doan et al. 2014). Sociologists argue that a range of factors has led to the notable change in opinions of the public and the society in entirety. These include increases in the attainment of education, as well as personal contact with the gay community. These make people tolerate homosexuality.

Moreover, inclusive family definitions have brought about the independent stage of life in the American society hence making most people support same-sex marriage. The attitudes people have towards gays and lesbians, as well as the moral evaluations they have for sexuality, would predict the attitudes about the marriage of the same sex. Therefore, as attitudes change, the societal views on homosexuality also change (Anteby & Anderson, 2014). The aspect of social imagination and the development of social institutions provide some cultural basis for essential implicit schemas and prototypes that people use in both action and cognition. As such, they shape the critical aspects of the worldviews of individuals concerning homosexuality. These aspects include preferences of a particular policy, beliefs, as well as the moral judgments of people. As some individuals interact with the social structures in society, they can induce others to alter their views about a particular behavior (Weber & King, 2014).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the American culture has realized substantial changes in its deep structures thereby making Americans to imagine the gay community and homosexuality differently as opposed to their past views. Therefore, it is evident that sociological theory and the development of social institutions have made Americans accommodate same-sex marriage as part of their culture. Thus, it shows the influence they have had on the gays, lesbians, homosexuals, transgender, and bisexuals, which make these people talk about their sexual orientation freely.

References

Anteby, M., & Anderson, C. (2014). The shifting landscape of LGBT organizational research. Research in Organizational Behavior, 34, 3-25. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2014.08.001

Doan, L., Loehr, A., & Miller, L. R. (2014). Formal rights and informal privileges for same-sex couples: Evidence from a national survey experiment. American Sociological Review, 79(6), 1172-1195. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0003122414555886

Weber, K., & King, B. (2014). Social movement theory and organization studies. Oxford handbook of sociology, social theory and organization studies, 487, 509. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.431.523&rep=rep1&type=pdf