gay rights

The civil rights that individuals and married couples have that those in the homosexual community don't have. These include the legalization of gay marriage, the same rights to said act that heterosexuals receive, (such as tax exemptions and benefits) and the right to be in public without being frowned upon. Although homosexuals have been fighting for these rights since the late 1800s, the issue never received nearly as much publicity until around the 2004 election when Congress gave the states the right to choose their view on this issue. Democrats and liberals feel that these individuals deserve the same rights that all of us have because we are all human, the Constitution says "All men are created equal," and that we practically did the same thing with the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. Republicans, conservatives, and many Christian groups feel that homosexuals should not be given the same rights for various reasons including their own thoughts that homosexuality is a disease or mental illness, that it has no social benefit, (i.e. impossible to bear children) and that the Bible doesn't allow it (see Leviticus 18:22). There have been many arguments about these issues which have also brought into question where to draw the line between the Seperation of Church and State.