oof of GodÆs condemnation of homosexuals. After the brutal and fatal beating of Matthew Sheppard, a gay man beat to death by two homophobic males, religious protestors showed up at his funeral service with signs reading ôGod hates Fagsö and other vicious epithets. In contrast, SheppardÆs death galvanized gay activists and heterosexuals alike to end violence against gays. The incident also reinforced the popularity of hate-crime legislation and renewed the call for gay rights. Many argue that religious, educational, and government polices toward homosexuals reinforce hatred against them that often erupts in violence. As Kornblum and Julian (2004) maintain, ôHostility, violence and discrimination directed at people because they are homosexual, or suspected to be homosexual, is known as homophobia,ö (278). Only when policies and institutions are modified to include tolerance for homosexuals will such violence end.
The following policy proposal is designed to afford homosexuals the same rights accorded to heterosexuals, particularly protection from discrimination (education, employment, etc.) and the right to marry. The proposal fits the category of the political approach to policy, mainly because of the conflicting values over homosexuality and the often hostile debate it creates. As DeNitto (2000) maintains, ôPolitics is conflict over the allocation of values in society, and this conflict is central to politics and policymaking,ö (7). From sexuality and gender to marriage and family, the issue of gay rights pits powerful groups with opposing values against each other in the political and policymaking arena. As Bell (2002) writes, ôAlthough opposition to and promotion of gay rights both sometimes appear to have internal logic, striking the right political chord has proven elusive,ö (1). This is best demonstrated in two political disasters. The first was Pat BuchananÆs fiery oratory at the 1992 Republican Nation Co...