SECTION IV: GAY RIGHTS IN THE OBAMA ERA (TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY)

Paper #4: The Future of Gay Rights

PROMPT AVAILABLE: Friday November 13th
PAPER DUE: Tuesday November 24th, 5:00pm

Objective: To critically examine a specific aspect of "the gay agenda" in detail and discuss its past, current and future.

In a typed, double-spaced 3-4 page (800-1200 word) essay, respond to the following questions:

By this point in the course we have seen how  multiple aspects of individuals' identity impact how different groups understand the concept of "justice" in America. We have also explored and debated whether the portion of the Obama Era in the 20th Century was an era of "gay liberation." We have demonstrated how restrictions on marriage have impacted the citizenship of contemporary Americans. Building on these ideas and others, I want you to

Select a particular civil right that has been denied to LGBT Americans and analyze how the denial of this right has influenced how the rest of America has viewed LGBT people and how they have viewed themselves. Trace the contours of the (internal and external) debates over whether and how this particular civil right should be pursued to reach a conclusion of whether (and a rough estimate for how long) this right that other non-LGBT Americans currently enjoy will continue to be denied in the future.

You should consider, but not necessarily explicitly answer, the following questions.
Has the civil right you selected been previously denied to other groups of people? If so, compare and contrast the debates  between denying the right to that group and the denial of that right to LGBT people.
If the particular civil right you select were granted tomorrow would that mean that "gay liberation" had been achieved?
What are the particular legal and political procedures by which the civil right you chose could be enacted?

Your essay must have a clear, well-written thesis and be analytic, not merely descriptive.

REMINDERS
0) YOUR NAME SHOULD APPEAR NOWHERE ON YOUR PAPER UNTIL THE BACK OF THE VERY LAST PAGE (ON WHICH YOU CLEARLY HAND WRITE  IT ON THE REVERSE OF YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE).
1) NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL.
2) YOUR PAPER SHOULD BE DOUBLE SPACED, IN 12 POINT FONT WITH 1-INCH MARGINS AND INCLUDE A TITLE AND WORD COUNT.
3) YOUR PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE A THESIS STATEMENT (BOLDED) WHICH DEMONSTRATES A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPTS REFERENCED ABOVE  AND WHICH RESPONDS DIRECTLY TO THE PROMPT.
4) YOUR PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE A "WORKS CITED" PAGE OF ANY ARTICLES YOU REFERENCE IN YOUR ESSAY. YOU MAY USE MLA OR APA CITATION STYLE.
5) A SUCCESSFUL PAPER WILL EXPLICITLY DISCUSS BARACK OBAMA'S POSITION ON THE PARTICULAR GAY RIGHTS ISSUE YOU HAVE CHOSEN AND REFERENCE ACTIONS OR STATEMENTS MADE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ON THIS SPECIFIC TOPIC.

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