A Debate Forbids Silence - an essay about discrimination in the GLBT community.

Nobody likes to be different. In a society based on conformity, deviations are met with disapproval and sometimes hatred. One group that "deviates" from societal norms is the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender - the GLBT - community. Currently, there are over 1,000 benefits, rights, and protections that federal law affords to married heterosexual couples; these same rights, and hundreds more coming from state legislatures, are not given to homosexual couples simply because they are homosexual. …

…simply admitting that while a group of people may be different from the other 80% of the population, respect and equality are still necessary. Some might scoff at laws that make a certain group "special" in order to get equal treatment - calling it a paradox or contradictory. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be an easier or more effective way to allow everyone to share the same sense of security in his or her life.