Preview

Texas law over homosexuality, air pollution and insufficient school funding

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1930 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Texas law over homosexuality, air pollution and insufficient school funding
Is the Texas law over homosexuality rights being equally enforced and updated by the state? Texas environmental contamination a result of corporate influence on the law. School funding in wealthy areas not being distributed equally throughout the state and the lack of positive results.

For years gay and lesbian organizations have always had a hard fight for equal rights in the United States, Texas is without an exception. Recent law amendments to the state constitution have upturned the “Anti-sodomy statute, Chapter 21, Sec. 21.06 of the Texas Penal Code made it Class C misdemeanor to engage in deviant sexual intercourse with the same sex” and brought the State back in line with the Supreme Court Ruling equal rights for everyone. The current problem now facing Texas is about repealing the outdated state amendments and Texas Health Code to reflect the changes and helping government employees stay informed of those changes. The Texas penal code of “Homosexual Conduct” criminalizing homosexuality is a violation of Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection for everyone) was challenged for the first time in 2003. The landmark case of Lawrence V. Texas resulted in the Supreme Court striking down the Texas Homosexual Conduct Law, effectively eliminating the sodomy law not only in Texas but also in other states that still enforced them. Although the State of Texas has stopped enforcing the sodomy law after the Supreme Court decision, the statute has not been removed from the state law. In order for the statute to be removed it would need to be submitted through a repeal process, requiring a full act of legislature. Complications arise when a Democratic Party member would introduce a bill with an attachment of the repeal of the anti-sodomy law to it; a Republican Party member would then veto it. In a cbslocal.com article, “El Paso Senator Jose Rodriguez says that the state

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Edith Windsor: Case Study

    • 2846 Words
    • 12 Pages

    According to the 104th Congress US Government Printing Office Section 1 is the short title which states: “This Act may be cited as the "Defense of Marriage Act".” Section 2 is about the powers reserved to the states. To sum up this section it states that “No State ... shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State ... between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State ... or claim arising from such relationship.” In other words one State doesn’t have to recognize the other States marital laws when it comes to same-sex couples. Now Section 3 is what the Supreme Court struck…

    • 2846 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In order to get a better understanding about importance of this case we must look political and social climates of the time. In 1973 anti-sodomy law forbade oral and anal sex between two people of the same sex, but the same activity was allowed for heterosexual couples. Same year Texas revised its criminal code and saw it fit to decriminalize adultery, seduction and bestiality. So in the year of 1973 the state of Texas public policy allowed human intercourse with an animal but did not allowed consensual sex between two adult people. Even though the Texas called “Homosexual conduct Law” many LGBT community members saw it as an attempt to criminalize not only the sexual act itself, but the very status of a gay person. It was not that homosexual sex acts were illegal, just being a gay was illegal – or that is how most law enforcement officers saw it. Police officers had never received any training or tips as to how to deal with certain situations, almost all police departments had high levels of homophobia and openly gay people would be treated anything but…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Facts: Groups of the same sex couples sued their relevant state agencies in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee to challenge the constitutionality of those states bans on the same sex marriage or refusal to recognize legal same sex marriages that occurred in jurisdiction that provide for such marriages. James Obergefell (plaintiffs) in each case argued that the states statutes violated Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause of the fourteenth Amendment, and one group of plaintiffs also brought claims under the Civil Rights act. In all the cases, the trial court found in favor of the plaintiffs. The U.S Courts of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reverse and held that the states bans on same sex marriage and refusal to recognize marriages performed in other states did not violated the couples fourteenth amendment rights to equal protection and due process.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    House Bill 2 Case Summary

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The House Bill 2 is a direct and a distinctive response from the legislature to Charlotte’s widening of the previous rights to the transgendered, lesbian, and gay. In this case, when the government deprives a particular minority group’s rights that are enjoyed by other citizens, the government will be considered to be violating the rights of the minority people in the society. Based, the case, the bill is violating the rights of the minority people in the city. Therefore, the government should reconsider amending the group to avoid discrimination of a single group of people in the…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Does the Constitution confer a fundamental right to engage in consensual, homosexual sodomy which invalidates the law that many states deemed illegal?…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ted Cruz has been so far only GOP candidate to animadvert the same-sex court ruling sternly enough to ignite the social conservatives. While all other GOP candidates showed controlled reaction on the law, Cruz tears the court ruling down and takes the opposition of same-sex marriage as ‘front and center’ of his presidential election campaign. Most of the GOP candidates have criticized the law but ended up obeying it ‘showing respect’ to the law except for Cruz, who has initiated campaigning against same-sex marriage ruling in Iowa. He also has excoriated the court for upholding Obamacare. He suggests that the court has overstepped its bounds.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A new ethical discussion is emerging in the oncology world due to overwhelming advances in fertility preservation in all age groups. The journal article “The Ethics of Fertility Preservation for Paediatric Cancer Patients: From Offer to Rebuttable Presumption” addresses the pressing need to discuss the ethics of failing to preserve fertility as this current practice may no longer be considered ethically appropriate for populations for whom established techniques are available. The current standard practice involves merely offering the option of fertility preservation procedures to children and young adults with cancer. Previous ethical discussions of fertility preservation have focused on the question of whether it is appropriate to perform fertility preservation procedures for a particular patient. The question at the heart of this article suggests the new discussion needs to address the question, “is failing to proceed with fertility preservation ethically justifiable?’” (McDougall 2015). The article gives some…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dynamic Court Viewpoints

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Though traditionally the courts of the United States have abided by the conditions of the constrained court, the court was being quite instrumental in the advancement of marriage for same sex couples. With the exception of the Supreme court case Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986, there had been a general trend of the courts to serve as important implementers of social change for same sex marriage. Yet, the courts have not been able to figuratively strike the mortal blow to issue. Of the accomplishments won by activists in the court, many had been rulings that simply overturned laws forbidding same sex marriage. In order for there to be true social change, the courts would need rule that not only are same sex marriages legal, they must be held to the same standard of equality as heterosexual marriages. Though activists continue to hope that one day full marriage equality can become a reality, it is important to understand the previous cases that been brought forth in the courts…

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Populism is similar to the representation of the "middle child". This ideology serves as the buffer between classical liberalism and social conservation; therefore, relieving the tensions amongst the two ("Political Culture and Political Ideology in Texas"). Also, populism stages to be "the people" of an issue; like democracy, populism gives the citizens their wanted inputs ("Political Culture and Political Ideology in Texas"). Along with the ideologies, there are many different beliefs in Texas that other states might not agree with. With the recent nationally passed approval of same-sex marriage, Texas responded and fought to keep it unlawful in the state of Texas, but eventually they lost (Espinoza). Although Texas proposed over 20 anti-LGBTQ laws, they were shot down by the nation's government (Stein). With this disapproval, Texas passed a state law that protects pastors from being required to marry gay and lesbians (Stein); therefore, demonstrating the social conservatism aspect of Texas, by protecting the states tradition of not allowing same-sex marriage. With the world constantly changing, we cannot be…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout history, the state has tried to suppress and contain homosexuality. Even “as early as 1656, the New Haven Colony prescribed the death penalty for lesbians” (Rich 634). This shows how severe the punishment was if found to be in a non-heteronormative relationship. The article, “The Straight State” by Margot Canaday states, “There was a policy against being homosexual, and it was federal in nature. States and localities generally policed homosexual acts, but […] it was the federal government that gradually developed the tools to target homosexual personhood or status, the condition of being a homosexual” (Canaday 6). Demonstrating how homosexuality was regulated and controlled, the state constructed the condition of being a homosexual. After creating this construct using characteristics, the state used it to oppress and discriminate those who were considered homosexual. The article continues, stating, “Those suspected of homosexuality were purged from the civil service and military in astounding numbers at midcentury. They were also barred from certain federal benefits, faced increased FBI and Post Office surveillance and explicit immigration and naturalization exclusions, as well as the stain of alleged political subversion” (Canaday 2). As homosexuality was considered to be an unnatural…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lgbt1 Task 1

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is a community based on celebrating individuality, sexuality, pride, diversity, love, and acceptance. Also known as the gay community, LGBT people believe in promoting LGBT rights and fighting for social justice. UCLA School of Law (Gates, 2011) conducted four national studies and two-state-level population based studies. The results determined that there are approximately nine million adults in the United States that identify themselves as LGBT. Prehistoric findings show that the community has been a target for discrimination and persecution from individuals and groups that practice homophobia since 11th century BCE. Although today’s century has proven to improve the…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Modest Proposal

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages

    America has a history of poor civil rights decisions: slavery, segregation, women’s suffrage, racism, and discrimination. Now is this country’s chance to learn from history and protect the civil rights of heterosexuals! We cannot stand down and let the wrath of the seemingly harmless and loving Homosexuals need for “equality” reign down on future generations. The only solution, which is an obvious one, is to relocate any gay out of the public’s eye. This is a surefire way to handle such a controversial…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Diversity Project

    • 1180 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Focuses on state level LGBT rights. Fights for equal rights of LGBT Americans. The greatest opportunities for policy victories that improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are in the states — where the work is hard but the impact is great.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Law Reform

    • 1985 Words
    • 8 Pages

    To achieve just outcomes, justice needs to be done and seen to be done. To do this the law must adapt to accommodate society’s changing needs and attitudes. This means that, over time, new laws must be introduced and old ones repealed or amended. The decriminalizing of homosexuality is one area in which law reform has been driven by changes in society’s values and the consequent advancement of society in recognizing equality and justice for its members, through recognition of non-traditional family structures. The effectiveness of law reform in achieving just outcomes for family members and society can be evaluated by examining issues such as the treatment of same-sex couples in adoption, recognition of same-sex marriage and same-sex couples having equal rights under the law, for example under inheritance laws, health and other insurances, superannuation entitlements and other aspects of social contract.…

    • 1985 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    The Gay Rights Movement

    • 3319 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Thesis Statement: The Gay Rights Movement dates back to the 19th century. By 1970 gay and lesbian organizations existed all over the United States and in other countries all over the world. Some supporters of the movement would say that our society as a whole has made great strides towards acceptance of homosexuality. However, gays and lesbians are still fighting for equality in 2009. The issues are vast and widespread, with same-sex marriage at the top of the list. In the world that we live in today one might be surprised to learn how many countries are accepting of gay and lesbians, as well as how many are not. The world has made progress within the last decade regarding this issue, but definitely not enough. We need to take steps to protect and balance Gay rights.…

    • 3319 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays