Gay Rights And Their Impact On Society Research (Essay Sample)

GAY RIGHTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOCIETY
Author:
Institution:
Gay Rights And Their Impact On Society
Gay rights or same sex marriages have been legalized in over twenty countries in the world. Canada was the first country outside Europe and the fourth in the world. In 2005 the civil marriage Act was introduced by the minister of justice. There were two fundamental principle that anchored the legislation which are the right to religious freedom and the right of equality of every Canadian without discrimination (Larocque, 2006).
In the 1960s homosexuality was a crime and men who engaged in such activities were imprisoned or subjected to criminal charges. Over the last 50 years the status of homosexuality in Canada has changed and today’s lesbian and gay people are entitled some legal and protection benefits. In the 1970s, gay communities were charged as sex offenders and were sentenced to long prison terms. A man named Klippert, arrest as a sexual offender in 1967 led to the public debate about homosexuality. Mr. Klippert was arrested after admitting sexual relation with other men he was declared that he would not stop engaging in homosexuality (Taylor, 2016). At around 1969, the federal government made reforms on criminal law including decriminalizing homosexuality.
Pierre Trudeau the Justice Minister at that time stated that what is done in private between two adults doesn’t concern the Criminal Code. It can only cause alarm if it involves the public or a minor. The minister stressed out the importance of individual freedom in sexuality. During the early months of 1970s after decriminalizing homosexuality, several debates about homosexuality around the country begin which led to the formation of several legislative in attempt to stop the discrimination of the gay community. Mr. Klippert was later released from prison. In 1977, human rights legislation included sexual orientation in the province of Quebec which was the first province to allow sexual matter in Canada. In 1978, the federal government removed the ban on immigrants who were homosexual in the Canadian Immigration Act.
In 1982, the charter of rights and freedoms was included in the constitution which did not grant the gay community their rights but in 1995 the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Egan v. Canada discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation .In 1992, the federal government lifted the ban on homosexual serving the military. This allowed the gay community to participate in the military and live with their partners. The Supreme Court ruled out that the gay community should enjoy the same rights and benefit as other normal couples in terms of income tax and pension, but the government recognized such rights in 2000.The government in 2004 gave protection to the gay community against hate speech and propaganda from the public. These mad it an offense to spread hatred based on sexual matters (Miron, 2009).
Before the law was passed in 2005, there was a four-way debate between the court, parliament, the people and the government. They came to a conclusion that the law should be passed. Individuals and groups argued that they had a right to choose the companion of their choice under the right of equality and freedom of religion. The parliament preserved the rights and freedoms in the constitution while the court protected them. Every individual is Canada is entitled to proclaim their rights and freedom given to them by the charter, hence the individuals practiced their constitutional right of asking the government to legalize same sex marriages. It was a national discussion which the government refereed to the Supreme Court on advisory about the legalizing of the same-sex marr...