There has been a big rise in civil hate crimes in America, much like the times in the sixties. There is also a lot of discrimination against people due to some defining trait. The people who suffer these consequences are those who chose to be different in sexual orientation or gender identity. By being different, the apparently are letting in a ton of trouble.

In order for gay civil rights to be recognized and respected, it will be an uphill struggle, as is demonstrated in the history of gay civil rights. For example, the struggles that homosexuals have had just to be recognized as a legal family unit, and other governmental entities do not recognize gay marriages as equivalent to traditional different-sex weddings. Even though the couple is committed, the government entities will not permit them to have a legal wedding, like heterosexual people do.

Laws protecting the civil rights of homosexuals are getting much better right now. There are some new laws regarding living and employment conditions that prohibit discriminating against homosexuals. This is giant progress for gay civil rights, but it does not promise that homosexuals will have the same opportunities to succeed as straight people do. For example, some employers are exploiting loopholes in the laws, mostly in "right-to-work" states.

Crimes against gays are declining, but this doesn't mean that they really are becoming less frequent. Because gay civil rights are still being worked out, many gays feel afraid or ashamed to report crimes that have been committed against them. This means that the overall statistic is incorrect, as many crimes are either not reported at all, or are reported as some other type of crime.

Conservatives are probably the biggest opponents of the gay movement. They tend to be resistant towards change, and prefer tradition over progression. Usually, Conservatives have staunch religious beliefs that fuel their anti-gay sentiment. They feel that gays are against nature, and should be hated for being gay. People are being murdered on a daily basis due to such beliefs.

Little by little, civil rights for homosexuals are altering and are becoming a part of the public consciousness so that they may actually afford a greater degree of protection from violent and non-violent bigots alike. And while the country may never see true equality in this area, there is much to be learned from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. People must also begin to discuss this subject more frequently, because it is always easier to combat any discrimination when it is out in the open.