Twenty years ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Texas’ ban on sodomy, ruling that states could not criminalize homosexuality. John Lawrence and Tyron Garner were the plaintiffs in that watershed ruling. Until then, LGBTQ+ people living in Texas and 13 other states lived under a dark cloud cast by laws that allowed law enforcement to arrest them for participating in consenting behavior among adults conducted in their private residences. In the 20 years since, advocates have secured major victories and cemented key rights including marriage equality, employment protections and the ability to serve in the military — victories that likely would not have been achieved without the foundation of Lawrence v. Texas. Yet not all members of the LGBTQ+ community have equally benefited from evolving attitudes toward — and legal protections for — the queer community. Notably, transgender people still face discrimination and violence at higher rates than their lesbian, gay and bisexual peers. In recent years, as trans people have gained visibility in the public sphere, familiar anti-LGBTQ+ tropes have emerged in efforts to alienate this community. Advocates say this attention has prompted a new wave of legislation in recent years that targets LGBTQ+ people largely pushed by Republicans who have campaigned on these issues.
Home Happening Out Television Network In Queer America Progress Has Been Made But Many Still Struggle
