Ever since America was formed, members of the LGBT community have not been socially or politically accepted. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the Freedom of Speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” The specific Freedoms of Speech and Religion have helped the LGBT community become politically accepted and gain the approval of the majority of citizens in our society. Each day I am allowed to speak my mind because I am protected by the First Amendment.

Freedom of Speech allows people to express themselves and make themselves aware to the public if desired. Also, they are able to stand up for what they believe in.  Paul M. Bessel, a library and museum committee member, stated, “The Freedom of Speech encourages people to think and talk as much as they want, with the best ideas eventually gaining the most support,” (Bessel, 2013). Through Freedom of Speech, the LGBT community gained a plethora of encouragement. Without all of the support, the bill may have never been made to allow gay couples to marry and the law would have never been passed.

Freedom of Religion further proves the point that just because one religion says being gay is wrong, it does not mean everybody thinks that same way. There are many forms of religion for a reason. Without Freedom of Religion, these people would not be safe because it is not welcome in evangelical Protestant denominations, such as the Catholic Church, the Mormon church, and Orthodox Jewish groups. Allen West, Fox news writer and reporter stated, “Consider this: what happens when a gay couple goes into a church wanting to plan a ceremony and the pastor says no? We now have a conflict between the First Amendment and individual behavior,” (West, 2015). If Freedom of Religion was not present in America, pastors and priests would have the power to deny gay couples being married without getting in trouble with the courts.

Over the course of the past few years, I have had many people personally admit to me that they are gay, bisexual, or do not know what their sexuality is yet. The Freedoms of Speech and Religion have allowed my peers to be open about who they love without any discrimination.  We are the first generation to grow up open minded because the government is not biased against marriage laws anymore. Soon, gay marriage will be more prevalent which will allow the youth of tomorrow to grow up in a more accepting society.

The LGBT community has survived and now recently thrived in America because if the Freedoms of Speech and Religion. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community will continue to become more and more socially accepted to the point where it is one-hundred percent normal to be in this community. The first amendment has taught me to accept everybody for who they are and recognize that we are all free. It is clearly shown that the freedoms of the LGBT people, as a whole, ultimately benefited from the Freedoms of Speech and Religion and will hopefully continue to benefit them for many years to come.