Three Years after Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Protections For LGBT Families Undermined

In this article by Susan Miller of USA Today, describes how the attitude towards gay marriages is still sour. Despite that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriages back in 2015, there needs to be more work in educating the public about tolerance (Susan, 2018). In the article, child agencies are still adamant when it comes to placing children in homes where the parents are gay. Because it allows people to practice their religious beliefs, has created a lee-way for the agencies to deny gay parents rights to live with adopted children (Susan, 2018). The fact that we live in a pluralistic society allows people to practice what they believe according to their religion. As a result, it has made it difficult for gay couples to have rights to child adoption or foster care due to their sexual preference (Gates and Saunders, 2016). While the law for same-sex ruling provides the notion that the USA is a more tolerant society, it is not the case when it comes to critical issues such as child adoption.

The same-sex ruling was passed three ago yet; the present is still grim for gay couples. While today’s society acts as if they have more education and accommodating people from all walks of life, there are still gaps in acceptance (Wodhouse, 2017). Leave alone gay rights; there is also a huge debate when it comes to washrooms access involving transgender. People are still afraid to embrace those that they term as ‘’untraditional’’ (Susan, 2018). As a result, discrimination against LGBTQ couples is ongoing in the full glare of the law. People and agencies are using religious reasons to discriminate against a group of people that the law has rendered part of society. Acceptance is still hard because society’s focus is on unimportant issues such as sex instead of other values that make the social whole. For things to change, there needs to be more awareness about tolerance across the board. 

In Houston Texas, the fight for the rights of gay workers is still on-going, the Supreme Court overturned the decision that favored legal spouses of city workers, include gay couples (Susan, 2018). Such actions are alarming because they continue to discriminate against same-sex couples based on their sexual orientation. Such responses suggest that the court is now re-thinking about the landmark decision made three years ago that legalized same-sex marriages as well as the extension of benefits when it comes to employment. This sheds light on the fact that a section of the society still feels that they are in a better position to make decisions on behalf of others just because they are heterosexual (Woodhouse, 2017). Such bans show that there are efforts that are set to undermine 2015 ruling and take the society back to when same-sex marriages were not accepted. For instance, in Arkansas, they denied same-sex couple the right to a birth certificate and this is frustrating because it shows lack of tolerance. 

Child welfare databases do not provide better situations for children placed in a home where the parents are heterosexual. When it comes to safety, it is a matter of individual character and has nothing to do with sexual orientation. However, society still focusses on matters that do not affect the children’s upbringing. It shows how hard it is for people to embrace change and live with it. The society does not want to practice inclusivity because it makes them uncomfortable even when it does not directly involve them. As such, the states; ruling that was set to allow gay couples to fit in the society, has not done much beyond recognizing same-sex marriages (Susan, 2018). Any other issue such as parenting, property, and divorce, has not had any consideration when it comes to gay couples. While society wants to believe that it has progressed in terms of inclusivity, the opposite is true. The more the people deny gay couples fundamental rights, shows that they are not comfortable confronting the issue of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

To sum it up, it is worrying that in 2019, same-sex couples still have to fight for a space in society as rational functioning beings. Despite the 2015 ruling that recognized same-sex couples, it did not extend to other rights such as adoption. Some states are denying these couples the right to adopt children based on religious beliefs. As such, it has made it hard for gay couples to have children and include them as part of the family. There is still a long way for society to go in terms of tolerance and inclusivity. Presently, people always focus on the subject of sex while overlooking other trivial issues. It is essential for society to understand that Heterosexual couples are not any better than gay couples. When it comes to character, it all boils down to an individual. Children need opportunities in life, and it should not matter the sexual orientation of the parents. Of importance is that the homes provide loving support despite their sexual orientation.

References

Gates, T. G., & Saunders, M. C. (2016). Executive orders for human rights: The case of Obama’s 

LGBT nondiscrimination order. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 16(1), 24-36.

Susan, Miller. (2018). 3 Years after Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Protections for LGBT Families Undermined. USA Today. Retrieved from:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/04/same-sex-marriage-ruling-undermined-gay-parents/650112002/

Woodhouse, B. B. (2017). “Out of Children’s Needs, Children’s Rights”: The Child’s Voice in \ Defining the Family. In Children’s Rights (pp. 107-127). Routledge.