Legislating Sexuality

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amendment on August 26, 1920(Cooke,
157). Although African Americans gained suffrage through the fifteenth amendment
in 1870 (Cooke, 151), it was not until the passing of the Civil Rights Act of
1964 that they were actually freed from discrimination by the government(Cooke,
150). Why is it then that in today's modern American society, an institution
that prides itself on being "the home of the free and the land of the brave", a
vast number of Americans are hiding beneath a shroud of ignorance when it comes
to the issue of homosexuality? It seems that the gay community is being
attacked out of fear and intolerance with this new bill, the same vices that
threatened African Americans and women. It is disturbing that even today, as
we prepare to enter a new millennium, such primitive forces are still at work.
Even the title of this bill is offensive, "The Defense of Marriage Act".
It implies that the tradition of marriage must be defended against corruption.
This notion is ...

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