The homosexual condition in the United States

Summary

Introduction p 3

I - Homosexuality and the US society p 3
A)Vision of homosexuals and recognition of a homosexual community p 3
B)Religious and moral aspect p 3
C)Homophobia, discrimination, violences, anti-homosexual movements p 5

II – Homosexual community p 7
A)History p 7
B)In movies and arts p 9
C)In literature p 15

III- Homosexual rights p 16
A)History of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) social movement p 16
B) Civil Right Laws p 16

1 C) Today's debate p 19

Conclusion p 20

Sources p 21 The Unites States are often considered as a country of personal freedom and equality, but lots of minorities are discriminated and among them are the homosexuals who don't always benefit from the same civil rights than heterosexuals, and they also suffer discriminations. The homosexual condition is often said to be born in the 1960s, but it existed in fact long before as we can see in literature for example. We will ask ourselves how did the homosexual condition evolved until today in the United States ? We will see first homosexuality and the society, then we will study the homosexual community, its history and how it is represented in arts, cinema and literature. Then we'll see the homosexual civil rights and what is the debate about today.

I - Homosexuality and the US society

A)Vision of homosexuals and recognition of a homosexual community

When I was in the US, I asked my penpal, her family and friends some questions about homosexuality. None of the eight persons I asked felt uncomfortable talking about homosexuality, except maybe one. They didn't thought that it was a shocking subject. All of them were for the right of adoption by a homosexual couple, but they didn't all agreed on the homosexual marriage. Four were for the homosexual marriage and four were against, but were for civil union for homosexuals. The thought that the marriage had a religious or social