Fixing America: Christine Quinn on the path to LGBT equality

January 13, 2012

The LGBT rights movement has taken enormous strides in the past few decades. What are the next steps to finally achieving full equality? “What we do need to do is change the legal construct around how LGBT people are treated,” says Christine Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council and the first openly gay person to hold that job. As a policy maker and long-time advocate, she offers her perspective on what needs to be done to ensure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

Watch the rest of the segments from this episode.

Last modified: January 13, 2012 at 4:26 pm
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Comments

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3DMCNLD77XSRTSDAZQTEBP3X64 First L

    It’s a shame PBS can’t serve the public interests with respect to equal rights and thinks people who self-identify as gay can’t be treated equally with someone who doesn’t choose to rebel against the social order.  I suggest a writing campaign protesting PBS’s capacity to serve the public interests to the FCC until they’re off the air and someone responsible takes their place.

  • Susan

    Very articulate and thoughtful discussion. I fully agree that equal rights for people who are GBLT IS the civil rights issue of our time. 

  • J.V. Hodgson

    For me this whole debate is made far too and unecessarily complicated
    LGBT need as appropriate the same civil rights as any other citizen and individual in all respects.Taxes, jobs,voting rights non discrimination etc etc.
    For me the DOMA is such a clear piece of religious based legislation it falls into a category of being unconstitutional as not separating religion and politics. Also if you think it is the only way, what needs defending??
    Bottom line I’m for leaving the stupid DOMA in effect, and passing a federal law recognising civil unions and preveting such civil unions from raising children by any means adoption,  surrogacy or artificial insemination, but then again I face facts they will just go to other countries and achieve it anyway. So its civil union and kids however they can get them. But not in any US state legally.
    Regards,
    Hodgson. 

  • Citizen

    PBS – Pretty Biased Stuff !  Hope the kids weren’t watching as you subvert marriage by equating sodomy and homosexual mental illness with the pure love of a man and a woman, which alone results in a natural, biological family.

  • EK

    I applaud PBS for keeping the discussion alive and am distressed by some of the reactionary comments like the ones from “Citizen” and “First L”.  
    Personally, I think ALL unions, gay and straight, should be CIVIL UNIONS that are registered with the state. One can then choose whether they wish to have a religious ceremony as well..it’s a personal and private choice.  We do have separation of Church and State (for the time being) here and it should be adhered to. 
    I also think people like “Citizen” should crawl back into their caves and stay there!!!!

  • EK

    Please return to the Stone Age.  
    Are you a mental health professional in classifying homosexuality with mental illness??

  • Elliott

    Look up the public relations masterwork by Kirk and Madsen, “After the Ball”. It is breathtaking how our society has been tricked into calling good evil and evil good al lin the name of mischaracterized civil rights. Nowhere has the discussion been held regarding the benefit or detriment to society of endorsement and protection of LGBT rights. It appears that it is easier to label opponents to the Gay Agenda as being homophobic than to consider the social ecological impact of same sex marriage.
       The west will last less than one generation, simply from the demographic decline. Same sex relationships cannot reproduce. The gay community must recruit or take possession of the next generation through miseducation.