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Gay Couples and Parental Rights

Gay couples are often faced with many problems in society when it comes to one partner having a child. This often involves negative attitudes, legal snags and related issues.

One problem faced by gay couples who adopt or already have a child is the prejudice of many in society against this lifestyle. This has started to change in the last few years, but many are still against what is actually a wonderful situation. There are a lot of children who remain to be adopted in this country and gay couples can offer a safe, loving home to these youngsters. They do have to face negative attitudes at times at work, school and in society in general.

When it comes to guardianship, gay couples often do often have the right to transfer it from one partner to the other. This can be an issue when setting up a will if one partner passes away. This is a hotly contested issue in the gay community and has been debated in many state governments. The hope is that positive legislation will be passed that grants the right of guardianship to the surviving partner.

As more and more children enter the system in need of adoption, society will have to open its doors to gay couples. They offer so much that these children can benefit from. As prevailing attitudes change, legislation will hopefully be passed that reduces a number of these barriers and gives gay couples the rights equal rights of parentship that they deserve.

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How Young People View Gay Lifestyles

 

The rainbow flag, sometimes called 'the freedo...

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As the past prejudices of older generations are wiped away, the new and open-minded viewpoints of the nation’s youth are supporting changes for the gay community. This has brought about many positive changes in the country on many fronts.

Younger people are more accepting, to a large degree, of homosexuality that past generations have been. This has allowed many gay couples to live more openly in society and to fight for equal rights in areas such as marriage and military service. The media, books, television, movies and other entertainment outlets have been increasingly featuring gay couples, transgender and bi-sexual individuals in a positive light.

The issues and obstacles that this portion of the population have to face are being brought to the attention of society, making others aware of the struggle for equal rights. Gay couples have had to fight tooth and nail to secure rights for marriage and other legal areas that can adversely affect things when one partner passes away. This has been especially problematic with custody of children, health insurance and related issues. This has been brought with greater push for equality before the federal government.

The younger generation currently is the most open to this type of legislation and open-minded acceptance to homosexuality. As the years progress, the youth will be entering leadership roles that will give them the opportunity to continue the positive changes that are now starting to occur. This inevitable change starts with the new perspectives that are spreading throughout society with the younger generation.

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Support for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 10: Rainbow fla... 

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Being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, GLBT, is not always easy. Sometimes these folks face blatant discrimination based on their sexuality. For that reason, having support as someone that is part of the GLBT community is absolutely imperative.

Support starts at home. If you’re part of the GLBT community, make sure to surround yourself with supportive people. If your family is not supportive and helpful, you might have to distance yourself to keep yourself healthy. Find friends that are supportive and gravitate to family members that support you no matter what. When you have a rough day, make sure to seek out your supportive friends and family to tell them about the day and to seek advice.

Sometimes supportive friends and family aren’t enough and you might need outside support. Hiring a therapist is a good idea for support. Find a therapist that specializes in speaking to GLBT community members to find someone that really understands. You can visit the therapist a few times a month to talk about how you’re felling.

Another way to get support is to be active in the GLBT community and to socialize with others that are in your shoes. Talk to community members about how you’re feeling. Support groups for GLBT people are also a good idea, and you can probably find a group in your area. Go to events with other GLBT community members for entertainment and for support.

Getting support in the GLBT community is absolutely necessary. Support can e found in your friends, family, professional and other GLBT persons.

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How To Find Local Businesses That Support A Homosexual Lifestyle

If you are looking for ways to support the gay community in your town, one of the easiest ways to do so is to seek out gay-friendly businesses in your area, and strive to give them your patronage whenever possible. However, if you choose to undertake this mission, you may find that it’s often harder than you might imagine to find businesses that are particularly friendly and welcoming towards the gay community.

If your community publishes a newspaper for the gay community, their classified advertisements section will be one of your best resources. Although some companies have to work very hard to demonstrate that they are welcoming to those who uphold a gay lifestyle, those who take it upon themselves to advertise in such media outlets are likely at the forefront of offering employment opportunities to all.

When you find a company that you think may be supportive towards the gay lifestyle, ask for an employment application. Check to see if it mentions that the company does not discriminate against a person’s sexual orientation. If this is mentioned, it’s a good clue that the company would be willing to accept the lifestyle of a gay employee. Keep in mind however, that most companies must pledge, by law to be an “equal opportunity employer,” which means that at least in theory, they cannot discriminate against someone just because they choose a homosexual lifestyle. In most cases though, actions speak louder than legal verbage, so, if you have any gay friends, ask them where they work, and whether or not they feel that the work environment is supportive towards their chosen lifestyle.

You can also check to see if a company requires its employees to go through diversity training, and if this training involves a segment which covers gay and lesbian lifestyle choices. In general, although diversity comes in a multitude of forms, companies who have dedicated themselves towards embracing diversity will be more accepting towards people who choose a homosexual lifestyle.

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Is “The Kids Are all Right” Offensive to the LGBT Community?

Spoiler alert: this post contains key plot points and “spoilers” for the movie The Kids Are All Right.

No movie has polarized the LGBT community within the past year like The Kids Are All Right. While some are lauding the movie for portraying a lesbian couple like real individuals instead of stereotypes, others feel like the movie plays into those same stereotypes that have plagued the lesbian community to begin with. Namely, the main controversy revolves around Julianne Moore’s character. Julianne Moore plays Jules, a frustrated mother and wife to Nic, played by Annette Bening. When the couple’s children search for their real father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), proves fruitful, the couple is apprehensive. Eventually, Jules works for Paul and the two have an affair.

Some lesbian critics and individuals have wholeheartedly praised the movie, thankful that the movie chose to portray the lesbian couple as real people with real issues, just like any married couple today. “Marriage is hard,” says Moore’s character during the movie. Indeed. However, some lesbians were incredibly offended by the movie because they argue it furthers the stereotype that a.) lesbians do not have amazing sexual relations and b.) lesbians all secretly crave men. Since many in America still believe that lesbians either “don’t exist” or “are confused,” some believe that the movie may have furthered these unfortunate stereotypes about the lesbian community. Other members of the GLBT community have applauded the movie for its ability to portray sexuality as a fluid concept, not something that’s cut-and-dry. Several high-profile lesbians have boycotted the movie, while others have fully supported it.

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Understanding Camp Humor

Camp humor has been around for quite some time and employed by some of the greatest actors and writers of our time. Camp is the way in which things are pointed out for their bad qualities or ironies. Camp humor in the last 10 years has become a large part of the rhetoric used by LGBT writer, theorists, and common people. Camp is a way in which the LGBT community can draw attention to the facets of society that pertain to them. In order to make these ironies more apparent, camp humor tries to create performance actions which draw on the needlessness or arbitrary sense of why things are so masculine in today’s society.

Aspects of Camp Humor

1. Irony- Camp humor is implemented to draw out the irony used by masculine pretenses and ideas, such as women should stay home while men work, and laundry is a women’s job. Through the use of irony these masculine normatives can be seen for what they are, wrong.

2, Subjugation- Camp humor attempts to subjugate ideas and topics to make them sound unappealing or comical. Camp humor is used by many members of the LGBT community to make masculine people understand the error of their ways by putting them on the spot.

3. Performative- Camp humor is performative. People who utilize camp humor do so as a performance because it is always over exaggerated to make a point. Just like acting masculine is a performance piece so can be overly “campy”.

Camp humor is a great tool to point out the absurdities of masculine behaviors and normatives and attempts to open peoples mind to acting however would make them feel truly normal. However, it is important to know that camp humor is used in other ways by many different people and only refers to the LGBT community when directly pertaining to them or when talking in the sense of Drag performances.

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