Gay and Lesbian Rights When I read the statement that said "we should not devote our efforts to promoting the rights of lesbians and gay men, as there are more important issues and urgent human rights issues that deserve our attention..." I was surprised. As it stands, nothing seems more important than ensuring equality and general acceptance for gay and lesbian people. Although many mistakes have been made in the past regarding human rights issues such as slavery, race and gender rights, gay and lesbian rights should be placed at the top of our priority list as gays and lesbians are the people who seem to face more discrimination and lack of ethical treatment in today's society; nothing deserves our attention more than what appears to be the greatest form of prejudice currently plaguing our culture: intolerance towards those who live a homosexual lifestyle, also known as homophobia. Throughout this essay we will address the topic of homophobia, but more importantly, how it affects those it denigrates, as well as a recent example of homophobia and another example of ongoing efforts to promote gay and lesbian rights. "Homophobia: the irrational fear or hatred towards those who love and sexually desire people of the same sex...."1 is how Suzanne Pharr described the topic in question, also citing it as "...a word that evokes images of loss of freedom, verbal and physical violence, death".1 This very problem is all too current in today's society. Homophobia plays an important role in leading those who live a homosexual life to live in fear or danger , ten to two... half of the document... remains"1; It is so important that gay rights are brought to the forefront of human rights issues as people considered illegal are also not doing anything different to anyone else. It's not a question of treating people differently based on what they do, it's a question of not being condemned for simply wanting to be who they truly are without living in that world of fear that homophobia forces them to sit in. .Final notes---------------------------------------------- - ---------------------1 "Homophobia: a weapon of sexism" by Suzanne Pharr, pages. 1-26 in Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism2 "Gay Couples Can Go to Prom, Judge the Rules" by Amy Carmichael, pages 1-3 in The Star3 "Same-Sex Rules to Rewrite Many Laws" by Tonda MacCharles and Tracey Tyler, pages 1-3 in The TorontoStar