Editing LGBTQ movements (section)

== Public opinion ==
{{See also|Societal attitudes toward homosexuality|LGBT rights opposition}}
[[File:Our 37th straight year (9179641399).jpg|thumb|37th Annual "Straights For Gay Rights" in Berkeley, California, in 2013]]
LGBT movements are opposed by a variety of individuals and organizations.<ref>Strauss, Lehman, Litt.D., F.R.G.S. [http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1302 "Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415203635/http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1302 |date=April 15, 2007 }}.</ref><ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_rom.htm "Roman Catholics and Homosexuality"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054718/http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_rom.htm |date=March 17, 2017 }}, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (2006)</ref><ref>[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/family?lang=eng "Teaching about Procreation and Chastity: Homosexuality"], The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints. Home & Family.</ref><ref>Shafran, Rabbi Avi. [http://www.jlaw.com/Commentary/maritalprob.html "Jewish Law: Marital Problems"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006153527/http://www.jlaw.com/Commentary/maritalprob.html |date=October 6, 2016 }}. Jewish Law Commentary: Examining Halacha, Jewish Issues, and Secular Law.</ref><ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_isla1.htm "Islam and Homosexuality"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317055607/http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_isla1.htm |date=March 17, 2017 }}, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (2005).</ref> They may have a personal, political or religious prejudice to gay rights, homosexual relations or gay people.  Opponents say same-sex relationships are not marriages,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savemarriageny.org/The%20Case%20Against%20Same-Sex%20Marriage%20and%20Civil%20Unions.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217232402/http://www.savemarriageny.org/The%20Case%20Against%20Same-Sex%20Marriage%20and%20Civil%20Unions.pdf|archive-date=December 17, 2008|title=THE CASE AGAINST SAME-SEX "MARRIAGE" AND CIVILUNIONS |date=January 2008 |publisher=COALITION TO SAVE MARRIAGE IN NEW YORK }}</ref> that legalization of same-sex marriage will open the door for the legalization of polygamy,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationformarriage.org/atf/cf/%7B39D8B5C1-F9FE-48C0-ABE6-1029BA77854C%7D/CatholicEnglish.pdf|title=Why Marriage Matters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624205429/http://www.nationformarriage.org/atf/cf/%7B39D8B5C1-F9FE-48C0-ABE6-1029BA77854C%7D/CatholicEnglish.pdf|archive-date=June 24, 2008}}</ref> that it is unnatural<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DE1731F937A35753C1A964958260 |title=Anti-Gay Backlashes Are on 3 States' Ballots |date=October 4, 1992 |access-date=June 6, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times | first=Timothy | last=Egan}}</ref> and that it encourages unhealthy behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.balancedpolitics.org/same_sex_marriages.htm|title=BalancedPolitics.org – Same Sex Marriages (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages)|author=Joe Messerli|access-date=June 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.apacny.net/The%20Christian%20Case%20Against%20Same-Sex%20Marriage.pdf | title=A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SAME-SEX "MARRIAGE" AND CIVIL UNIONS | publisher=The Association of Politically Active Christians | date=2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409072704/http://www.apacny.net/The%20Christian%20Case%20Against%20Same-Sex%20Marriage.pdf | archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref>

Some social conservatives believe that all sexual relationships with people other than an opposite-sex spouse undermines the traditional family<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=a1312e636369f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527022204/http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=a1312e636369f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD|title=First Presidency Message on Same-Gender Marriage|archive-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> and that children should be reared in homes with both a father and a mother.<ref name = DMD>{{cite magazine |last=Brownback |first=Sam |title=Defining Marriage Down&nbsp;— We need to protect marriage. |magazine=[[National Review]]  |date=July 9, 2004 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/brownback200407090921.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040710092937/http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/brownback200407090921.asp |archive-date=July 10, 2004 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/family-proclamation "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"], lds.org.</ref> As society in some countries (mostly in Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan) has become more accepting of homosexuality, there therefore has also been the emergence of many groups that desire to end homosexuality; during the 1990s, one of the best known groups that was established with this goal is the [[ex-gay]] movement.

[[File:2008 Anti-gay protestors in San Francisco.jpg|thumb|Anti-gay protestors in San Francisco in 2008]]

[[Eric Rofes]] author of the book, ''A Radical Rethinking of Sexuality and Schooling: Status Quo or Status Queer?'', argues that the inclusion of teachings on homosexuality in public schools will play an important role in transforming public ideas about lesbian and gay individuals.<ref name="Rofes">Rofes, Eric E. "Chapter 2: Candy from Strangers: Queer Teachers and the (Im)Moral Development of Children." A Radical Rethinking of Sexuality and Schooling: Status Quo or Status Queer. Ed. Eric E. Rofes. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2005. 15–37. Print.</ref>  As a former teacher in the public school system, Rofes recounts how he was fired from his teaching position after making the decision to come out as gay.

As a result of the stigma that he faced as a gay teacher he emphasizes the necessity of the public to take [[political radicalism|radical]] approaches to making significant changes in public attitudes about homosexuality.<ref name="Rofes" /> According to Rofes, radical approaches are grounded in the belief that "something fundamental needs to be transformed for authentic and sweeping changes to occur. "The radical approaches proposed by Rofes have been met with strong opposition from [[LGBT rights opposition|anti-gay rights]] activists such as [[John Briggs (politician)|John Briggs]]. Former California senator, John Briggs proposed [[Briggs Initiative|Proposition 6]], a [[ballot initiative]] that would require that all California state public schools fire any gay or lesbian teachers or counselors, along with any faculty that displayed support for gay rights in an effort to prevent what he believe to be "the corruption of the children's minds".<ref name="Fetner">Fetner, Tina. 2008. How the Religious Rights Shaped Lesbian and Gay Activism. University of Minnesota Press.</ref>

The exclusion of homosexuality from the sexual education curriculum, in addition to the absence of sexual counseling programs in public schools, has resulted in increased feelings of isolation and alienation for gay and lesbian students who desire to have gay counseling programs that will help them come to terms with their sexual orientation.<ref name="Rofes" /> Eric Rofes founder of youth homosexual programs, such as [[Out There (youth program)|Out There]] and [[Committee for Gay Youth]], stresses the importance of having support programs that help youth learn to identify with their sexual orientation.

David Campos, author of the book, ''Sex, Youth, and Sex Education: A Reference Handbook'', illuminates the argument proposed by proponents of sexual education programs in public schools.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A1247C|title=Sex, Youth, and Sex Education|website=abc-clio.com|language=en-US|access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref> Many gay rights supporters argue that teachings about the diverse sexual orientations that exist outside of [[heterosexuality]] are pertinent to creating students that are well informed about the world around them.

However, Campos also acknowledges that the sex education curriculum alone cannot teach youth about factors associated with sexual orientation but instead he suggests that schools implement policies that create safe school learning environments and foster support for LGBT youth.<ref name="Campos">{{cite book|author=Campos, David|title=Sex, Youth, and Sex Education: A Reference Handbook|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Library of Congress Cataloging|year=2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKmVUwbUlGgC|isbn=978-1-57607-776-4}}</ref> It is his belief that schools that provide unbiased, factual information about sexual orientation, along with supportive counseling programs for these homosexual youth will transform the way society treats homosexuality.<ref name="Campos" />

Many opponents of LGBT social movements have attributed their indifference toward homosexuality as being a result of the immoral values that it may instill in children who are exposed to homosexual individuals.<ref name="Fetner" /> In opposition to this claim, many proponents of increased education about homosexuality suggest that educators should refrain from teaching about [[Human sexuality|sexuality]] in schools entirely.

In her book entitled "Gay and Lesbian Movement," [[Margaret Cruikshank]] provides statistical data from the [[Harris Insights & Analytics|Harris and Yankelovich polls]] which confirmed that over 80% of American adults believe that students should be educated about sexuality within their public school. In addition, the poll also found that 75% of parents believe that homosexuality and abortion should be included in the curriculum as well. An assessment conducted on California public school systems discovered that only 2% of all parents actually disapproved of their child being taught about sexuality in school.<ref name="Darder">{{cite book|editor1=Darder, Antoninia|editor2=Marta Baltodano|editor3=Raldolfo Torres|name-list-style=amp|title=The Critical Pedagogy Reader|location=New York, NY|publisher=Routledge Falmer|year=2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a2bvKJ6S-L8C&pg=PA496|isbn=978-0-415-92261-6}}</ref>

[[File:Warszawa.ParadaRówności2006.5407.jpg|thumb|Anti-gay demonstrators in [[Poland]] in 2006]]
It had been suggested that education has a positive impact on support for same sex marriage. African Americans statistically have lower rates of educational achievement; however, the education level of African Americans does not have as much significance on their attitude towards [[same-sex marriage]] as it does on white attitudes.

Educational attainment among whites has a significant positive effect on support for same-sex marriage, whereas the direct effect of education among African Americans is less significant. The income levels of whites have a direct and positive correlation with support for same-sex marriage, but African American income level is not significantly associated with attitudes toward same-sex marriage.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite journal |last1=Sherkat |first1=Darren E. |last2=de Vries |first2=Kylan Mattias |last3=Creek |first3=Stacia |title=Race, Religion, and Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage |journal=Social Science Quarterly |date=March 2010 |volume=91 |issue=1 |pages=80–98 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00682.x |url=https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ps_wp/5 }}</ref>

[[File:Parada Równości 2018 01.jpg|thumb|[[Parada Równości]] 2018, [[Warsaw]], Poland]]
Location also affects ideas towards same-sex marriage; residents of rural and southern areas are significantly more opposed to same-sex marriage in comparison to residents elsewhere. Gays and lesbians that live in rural areas face many challenges, including: sparse populations and the traditional culture held closely by the small population of most rural areas, generally hostile social climates towards gays relative to urban areas, and less social and institution support and access compared to urban areas.<ref>Wienke, Chris & Hill, Gretchen. (2013). Does Place of Residence Matter? Rural-Urban Differences and the Wellbeing of Gay Men and Lesbians. Journal of homosexuality. 60. 1256–79. 10.1080/00918369.2013.806166.</ref>

In order to combat this problem that the LGBT community faces, social networks and apps such as Moovs have been created for "LGBT individuals with like-minds" that are "enabled to connect, share, and feel the heartbeat of the community as one."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/17876310/|title=Moovz – The Global LGBT Social Network}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/28/moovz-gay-social-network_n_4681259.html|title='Moovz,' Gay Social Network, Launched By Interacting Technology|last=Nichols|first=JamesMichael|date=January 28, 2014|work=Huffington Post|access-date=September 25, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

In a study conducted by Darren E. Sherkat, Kylan M. de Vries, and Stacia Creek at the [[Southern Illinois University Carbondale]], researchers found that women tend to be more consistently supportive of LGBT rights than men and that individuals that are divorced or have never married are also more likely to grant marital rights to same-sex couples than married or widowed individuals.

They also claimed that white women are significantly more supportive than white men, but there are no gender discrepancies among African Americans. The year in which one was born was also found to be a strong indicator of attitude towards same-sex marriage—generations born after 1946 are considerably more supportive of same-sex marriage than older generations. Finally, the study reported that statistically African Americans are more opposed to same-sex marriage than any other ethnicity.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

Studies show that Non-Protestant Christians are much more likely to support same-sex unions than [[Protestants]]; 63% of African Americans claim that they are [[Black church|Baptist]] or Protestant, whereas only 30% of white Americans are. Religion, as measured by individuals' religious affiliations, behaviors, and beliefs, has a lot of influence in structuring same-sex union attitudes and consistently influences opinions about homosexuality.

The most liberal attitudes are generally reflected by Jews, liberal Protestants, and people who are not affiliated with religion. This is because many of their religious traditions have not "systematically condemned homosexual behaviors" in recent years. Moderate and tolerant attitudes are generally reflected by Catholics and moderate Protestants. And lastly, the most conservative views are held by [[Evangelicalism in the United States|Evangelical Protestants]].

Moreover, it is a tendency for one to be less tolerant of homosexuality if their social network is strongly tied to a religious congregation. Organized religion, especially Protestant and Baptist affiliations, espouse conservative views which traditionally denounce same-sex unions. Therefore, these congregations are more likely to hear messages of this nature. Polls have also indicated that the amount and level of personal contact that individuals have with homosexual individuals and traditional morality affects attitudes of same-sex marriage and homosexuality.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=Laura R. |last2=Cadge |first2=Wendy |last3=Harrison |first3=James T. |title=Religion and Public Opinion about Same-Sex Marriage* |journal=Social Science Quarterly |date=June 2006 |volume=87 |issue=2 |pages=340–360 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00384.x }}</ref>