Should Homosexuals Have Equal Protection Rights Based on Their Sexual Orientation?

Pro
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated in a Mar. 11, 2002 article titled “The Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People” that:

“Despite… advances into the American mainstream… lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people continue to face real discrimination in all areas of life. No federal law prevents a person from being fired or refused a job on the basis of sexual orientation…

The struggle for legal equality for LGBT people rests on several fundamental constitutional principles.

Equal protection of the law is guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and reinforced by hundreds of local, state and federal civil rights laws… The ACLU believes the Equal Protection Clause prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation as well.