Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

Those who believe homosexuals do not deserve rights have organized hate groups. These groups
have been developed by these inhabitants in order to spread their opinions around countries and to stop
any type of progression being made. They believe any kind of sexual relationship between two people of
the same sex is wrong and it must be stopped.
In recent years a shift has occurred concerning the opinions of gay rights and because of this,
―disputes over gay rights policies have occupied a prominent place on the American public agenda in
recent years‖ (Brewer, 2003, p.1208). This shift looks to have caused the topic of gay rights to be very
controversial in both the U.S. and the U.K. With the issue of gay rights on the rise in recent years people
are now expressing their opinions on this issue more than ever. People are strongly stating whether they
agree or disagree with the lifestyle of homosexual individuals and couples. Citizens of both countries
seem to be changing their ways of thinking and believe gay men and lesbian women should be granted all
of the basic human rights given to heterosexuals without discrimination. Paul Brewer provides
information about a study that was done in order to show this change in public opinion in the United
States. Brewer explains, that from as recent as thirty years ago most people believed that any type of
sexual relations between any two people of the same sex was ―always wrong‖ and because of this ―there
was a small increase in hostility toward homosexuality during this period‖ (2003, p.1208). Nevertheless,
Brewer then goes on to say that a couple of years later, around the year 1992, the ―hostility decreased
rapidly‖ and people began to accept same-sex couples (2003, p.1208). Thanks to this shift in public
opinions, government officials in the Unites States have started to acknowledge homosexuals as deserving
of the same rights that are given to heterosexuals. Gays and lesbians have started to gain many rights that
allow them to live as though heterosexuals do.
One right that homosexuals now have is the right to adopt and foster children. This advancement
is seen both in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Badgett and his accompanied authors explain a few
findings in the U.S.:
More than 16,000 adopted children are living with lesbian and gay parents. Gay and
lesbian parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the United States. An
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