Obtaining acceptance and special recognition gay rights movement is only one of a series of intensely contested factors that have arisen since the American rights movement increased to fame in the heated political atmosphere of the 1970s. Today, the political implications of gay rights do not concern the perceptions of others. Gay rights directly implicate the citizenship of gays themselves. Through a legal disability created by the state’s denial of a legal framework for committed same-sex relationships, the state produces gay and lesbian people as a peculiar class of second-class citizens. ACT UP struggle shows that gay men are deprived of human rights and have to fight against oppression and discrimination so they should be protected by the state from negative social image and violation of their rights.
The history of gay rights and the ACT UP struggle goes back to the 1960s-1870s and is closely connected with the human rights movement. In the USA gay rights were accepted in 2003 only. Taking into account ethical arguments it is possible to reject the benefits mentioned above and underline that homosexual unions are also less likely to fulfill reproductive social interests than heterosexual unions (Allen, 2006). Opponents of gay rights suppose that legalizing same-sex relations would foster the creation of a new class of disadvantaged children, produced by medically assisted procreative techniques and intended to be born as part or full orphans and reared without both a mom and dad (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002). In Hawaii itself, leaders of many faiths have been at the forefront of the pro- ACT UP struggle campaign. And whereas most progressive national groups have yet to take a strong stand in favor of the ACT UP struggle, religious groups have been faster on the draw (Alsenas, 2008). For the most part, their vision of what needs to be changed is extremely narrow: class, race, and gender structures, for example, and the attendant forms of oppression are often left virtually or completely unchanged. Not surprisingly, therefore, given this tradition, those who have historically been disempowered on precisely such grounds (e.g. for reasons of class, race, or gender) have written few actual utopias. In their poem, the authors create a unique account of feminism, its meaning, and its place in the modern world. The questions of HIV and AIDS origins have long bothered scientists and researchers in different areas. There are different opinions concerning the topic, but it is necessary to assert that it was finally proven in 2005 that HIV indeed originated in Africa. The study took ten years and it discovered that there was a strain of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) in some chimpanzee colonies in south-east Cameroon. This strain, in particular, appeared to be a viral ancestor of the virus HIV-1 which is the cause of the development of AIDS in humans (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002)
ACT UP groups fight for free medical treatment, state support, and fair legislation. The group is quite incapable of understanding the simple fact that, when it comes to dealing with the matters of life and death, no monetary cost can be too high. Moreover, we have a good reason to believe that, given Government’s willingness to pay for “underpowered” people, it would also be willing to pay for their medicine. It is also important to state that such a spread of HIV / AIDS was quite often assigned to the sexual promiscuity of gay people, thus linking their sexuality to the spread of the diseases. But it is necessary to admit finally, that not behavioral or cultural issues have caused the epidemic, but socioeconomic conditions have. Due to this factor people have become predisposed to the epidemic. If the issue is contemplated from this angle, the good proof of it consists in the belief that HIV / AIDS develops according to different patterns in world countries. It is necessary to admit that gay men tend to be infected more often than heterosexual men. Furthermore, another aspect that contributes to the spread of HIV / AIDS is unemployment, underemployment as well as poverty as a result of the two. When politics is considered, it as well has influenced the spread of HIV / AIDS for the reason of denying the problem. It anyway is pleasant and reassuring to know that governments of developed and developing countries pay more attention to the problem and try to conduct initiatives and programs devoted to the education of people in their countries as well as to the prevention of the further spread of the diseases. Together with the involvement of supporters from other countries and international organizations headed by the WHO, local governments are supposed to find solutions to the problem of HIV / AIDS spread prevention and the improvement of quality of life of those who have already been infected with the diseases (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002)
ACT UP group was formed in 1987 in New York. The leader and founder of the goop, Larry Kramer, fight against Gay Men Health Crisis and political apathy towards gay people. Sexual liberation is a factor that had a great influence on the national idea during the XX century. Men paid particular attention to the role of sexual relations and sexual freedom in society and their role in the formation of self and universal order. The possible solution for this problem is to allow same-sex couples to marry and receive licenses as an official reorganization of their union. It is possible to agree with activists who suppose that the ACT UP struggle is a fundamental challenge to the status quo. When the state withholds law, it acts on people’s lives in an entirely different way than when it withholds funding. The legalization of gay rights would amount to a pivotal event in the present-day struggle. If it occurs without the enthusiastic support and involvement of major same-sex and civil rights groups, it would also amount to one of the most breathtaking lapses of organizational vision in the history of the modern left (Alsenas, 2008).
The gay rights movement and ACT UP struggle coincided with the civil right movement and became a part of it. In early 1970s, gays have challenged the legal restriction of ACT UP struggle to men, though none of these earlier efforts received serious judicial attention. While the constitutional issues raised in these situations have varied, the responses to them have ranged from bewilderment to outrage as judges cited most probably commonplace understandings that ACT UP struggle is “naturally” the union of a man and a woman, and therefore cannot be entered into by people of the same sex. Union between gay people is morally right as it is based on human needs of homosexual individuals (Marcus, 2002). ACT UP activists fight for officially accepted and recognized gay rights (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002). As other homosexual issues have achieved importance, and perhaps particularly as the AIDS pandemic has brought many people face-to-face with the homosexual community and gay individuals for perhaps the first time, ACT UP struggle has emerged as the shock demand of the 1990s, generated not by a top-down solutions but rather by a grass-roots permission (Marcus, 2002).
Another dimension of ACT UP struggle is reflected in politics, authority and poverty (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002). The uniqueness of ACT UP struggle is that it is more stable and happy than poverty because of true loving relations and sympathy (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002; (Polikoff, 2008). In general, the right to gay men should be pursued as a political strategy to attain general equality for gay men. ACT UP struggle is thought to be so privileged in society that participation in it would legitimate all gay relationships and the individuals who prefer them (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002). When prevention of HIV / AIDS is viewed, there are certain activities which definitely allow countries influence a decrease in HIV prevalence among adults. One of these is promotion of use of condoms which are distributed among adults in the area (Polikoff, 2008).
Under the present day conception, the state’s recognition and regulation of ACT UP struggle does not privilege this institution, but merely makes it available to those who wish to structure their relationships in accordance with it. Ideally, the benefits and disadvantages associated with ACT UP struggle reflect the differences between the situation of a legally couple and the situations of couples and individuals without such legal commitment. Many quarters of American society still view ACT UP struggle as blessed and noble. Unfortunately, ACT UP activists must reckon with the possibility that the recognition of their right to marry may lower the status of ACT UP struggle as much as it raises the status of gays (Shepard and Hayduk, 2002). Taking into account ethical arguments it is possible to agree that homosexual unions are also less likely to fulfill reproductive social interests than heterosexual unions. That could be turned around to say that many potentially good relations are based on mutual understanding and trust. If a ACT UP struggle has been based on a need for human rights, chances are good that it will work out (Polikoff, 2008).
In sum, gay tights and ACT UP struggle is a topical issue caused by different perceptions and understanding of human nature and interpersonal relations. The approaches towards ACT UP struggle are liberal and conservative. Liberals and progressives suppose that the state should accept and permits ACT UP struggle because of equal rights and freedoms granted to all individuals. Thus, conservatives suggest that too many people take advantage of this ease of entry before they look at the true implications of vowing to be together through sickness and health for many years.
References
Allen, D.W. (2006). An Economic Assessment of Same-Sex Marriage Laws. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 29 (3), 949-967.
Alsenas, L. (2008). Gay America: Struggle for Equality. Amulet Books; 1 edition.
Marcus, E. (2002). Making Gay History: The Half Century Fight for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights. Harper Paperbacks.
Polikoff, Nancy, D. (2008). Beyond Straight and Gay Marriage: Valuing All Families under the Law. Beacon Press.
Shepard, B., Hayduk, R. (2002). From ACT UP to the WTO: Urban Protest and Community Building in the Era of Globalization. Verso; illustrated edition edition.