Homosexuality. Depending on who that word is said to, will
either make someone cringe or will start a welcoming conversation. Homosexuality is not a foreign topic for
society, but it took 2,013 years for the United States to accept that denying federal
benefits for homosexual couples was unconstitutional.[1] 2,013 years may seem like a short or long
period of time; however, the only people who consider 2,013 years to be short
are the people that did not experience inequality and the people that were able
to live as they pleased. Rights for
homosexuals are slowly advancing towards equality, yet treatment and justice
towards homosexuals are lacking.
Even though
homosexuality has been around since the 1860s[2],
treatment towards homosexuals, or bisexuals, has had minimal change. Recently, the TV show 20/20 broadcasted a
story about an 18 year old female, Kaitlyn Hunt, who went to prison for having
a relationship with a 14 year old girl.[3] The parents of the 14 year old are the ones
who originally went to the police, and Kaitlyn believes that they would have
been fine with the relationship if she would have been male.[4] Kaitlyn refused to accept a plea offer because she really wanted to not be
discriminated against for her sexuality.[5] To hear the story, click here
The first case I had
ever learned about, when dealing with a homosexual event, was Nicholas
Sension’s.[6] In 1677, Sension repeatedly tried to rape men,
for over thirty years, and eventually went on trial.[7] Due to his wealth and status, his ruling was
not as severer as it should have been with the sodomy laws that existed.[8] However, the surprising aspect, to me, was
the fact that the colonists tried to prevent him from continuing on with his
actions before taking legal action.[9]
The difference in
treatment towards homosexuals, in the justice system, between 1677 and 2014 has
drastically changed; nevertheless, the perception of the ruling is still
skewed. Sension was looked down-upon in
his community and guilty of his actions, but his social status saved him from
receiving a fair prosecution.[10] Kaitlyn was trialed unfairly because society
looks down-upon homosexuals and the parents of the 14 year old were unhappy
with the actions of their daughter.[11] Both of these incidents were not handled correctly;
Sension was guilty and should have been charged, Kaitlyn was not guilty and
should not have spent 120 days in prison for having a mutual relationship. Even though 337 years have passed since
Sension’s trail, homosexuals are still not being treated equally. Some rights have been granted to them, but
until they can be prosecuted fairly in the legal system, homosexuals will still
experience difficulties with equality.
[1] Liptak, Adam. "Supreme
Court Bolsters Gay Marriage With Two Major Rulings." The
New York Times, June 26, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/us/politics/supreme-court-gay-marriage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
(accessed February 20, 2014).
[2] Ford , Milt. A
Brief History of Homosexuality in America. working paper., Grand
Valley State University, 2013. http://www.gvsu.edu/allies/a-brief-history-of-homosexuality-in-america-30.htm.
[3] Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith,
and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With
Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February
14, 2014. http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595
(accessed February 20, 2014).
[4] Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith,
and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With
Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February
14, 2014.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595
(accessed February 20, 2014).
[5]Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith,
and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With
Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February
14, 2014.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595
(accessed February 20, 2014).
[6] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy
Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20,
2014.
http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[7] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy
Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20,
2014.
http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[8] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy
Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20,
2014.
http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[9] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy
Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20,
2014. http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[10] OutHistory.org, "Sodomy
Case: Nicholas Sension, Connecticut, May 22, 1677." Accessed February 20,
2014.
http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/the-age-of-sodomitical-sin/1670s/sodomy-case-nicholas-sension-m.
[11]Diaz, Joseph, Jenner Smith,
and Alexa Valiente. "Fla. Teen Jailed for Same-Sex Relationship With
Underage Girlfriend Ready to ‘Move On’." 20/20, February
14, 2014.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/fla-teen-jailed-sex-relationship-underage-girlfriend-ready/story?id=22504595
(accessed February 20, 2014).
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