gay rights
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Gay Rights
History
Since the seventeenth century, homosexuality has been thought of as an object of scorn, causing discrimination, punishment, and causing people to be ostracized from society. The Christian religion played a huge part in the actions taken against homosexuals. The Bible itself states, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." In the late nineteenth century, homosexuality was diagnosed as a disease. The treatments included castration, hysterectomy, lobotomy, electroshock, and aversion therapy.
In the United States, homosexuality was kept under wraps until the Second World War, in which large groups of young people left their homes for service in the sex-segregated military. In the fifties, homosexuality was considered very wrong. Once the government became aware of homosexual relationships, great measures were taken to suppress them. Government-directed raids of gay bars and clubs were frequent during this time. In 1969, the police in New York raided a Greenwich Village bar, the Stonewall Inn, and its patrons fought back, causing three nights of riots in the city...