This Sunday we marched with more than tens of thousands of fellow Americans from across the nation to the U.S. Capitol Building as part of the National Equality March. Several decades ago, people our age were fighting to end racial discrimination, and now it is our turn to stand up for civil rights.
Marchers demanded that the government guarantee equal protection under the law in all matters for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in every state across the country.
These demands are part of a larger movement for peace and social justice.
The 14th Amendment states that “No state shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” However, LGBT Americans are not being protected by the government under this clause. There are numerous laws and policies that actively discriminate against Americans because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Throughout the country, members of the LGBT community are denied basic civil rights that should be guaranteed to them under the Equal Protection Clause.
Most people are aware of the LGBT rights movement’s efforts to guarantee the rights to marry and serve openly in the military. However, these are just two instances out of thousands in which LGBT citizens are denied their rights. Access to these rights is governed at the state level. Some examples of rights denied to LGBT Americans in at least one state include the right to adopt, equitable health care coverage, protection from hate crimes, the right to visit loved ones in the hospital and protection against discrimination in the workplace and housing market. It is unacceptable that 141 years after the 14th Amendment was ratified and 45 years after former President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, our government fails to protect the basic civil rights of a large community within its citizenship.
When our nation elected President Barack Obama last November, we were promised change. As part of his official campaign platform, Obama promised to combat discrimination against the LGBT community. Nearly nine months into his term, not much has been done. As young voting Americans, we marched to let the president and Congress know that we want action taken immediately at the federal level to give members of the LGBT community protection under the law in every state and access to every civil right they deserve as Americans.
As exciting and empowering as the atmosphere was on Sunday, this is only the beginning. In the months that follow, we must continue to show the government that our generation will not allow for the discrimination of people who identify as LGBT. The university’s proximity to Washington gives us the opportunity to advocate for swift action.
Angelina Gentile and Jean Bartholomew are the vice president and campus liaison for College Democrats, respectively. They can be reached at agentile at umd dot edu and jeanb at umd dot edu.
