Moreover, the Court firmly rejected the "special rights" rhetoric of those who would exclude lesbians and gay men from political life in America. In doing so, the Justices disarmed a major component of the anti-gay agenda. Laws which protected people fromdiscrimination, the Court unequivocally stated, provide equal rights, not "special rights." Conclusion Since the riot at Stonewall, the gay rights movement has been fighting for the rights of gay and lesbian Americans. Although, with help from the ACLU and the LAMBDA Legal Defense, they have made great headway, there is so much work left to be done. Gay and lesbian Americans are fighting a war with legislators for equal rights at both the state and federal level. It is a war that has been fought for decades. America is a country based on equality, not hostility, and fear...
