PHL 205 - CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES
FIRST MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
SPRING 2017
PART 2

LGBT ISSUES: What does LGBT stand for? How much of the population does it represent according to demographer Gary Gates in the NPR interview? According to the National Health Statistics Report of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), what percentage of the population is heterosexual? According to the Gallup poll, what has been the trend regarding acceptance of same-sex relationships and marriages? What percentage of the population still believes same-sex relationships to be morally wrong? What percentage opposes homosexuality for religious reasons? What does the Bible have to say about altering one's gender identity and homosexuality? What did the Supreme Case of Lawrence v. Texas establish? What did the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges establish? What was the legal reasoning behind each case?

What other classes of people have sought and been granted special protection under U.S. law? Does Oregon grant LGBT people special protections not given in other states? What organizations do such non-discrimination laws apply to? What is a "place of public accommodation?"

What legal restrictions are there on marriage in the U.S. and how might they be relevant to the gay marriage debate?  Is gay couples' inability to conceive children together a logical reason to prohibit gay marriage? Why or why not?

What happened in the landmark Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery case in Oregon? What issues were at stake and why is it significant? What analogies did the instructor suggest might be used support of Melissa and Aaron Klein, the defendants in the case? How does the "religious liberty" law recently passed in Mississippi makes things different there? What does HB2, North Carolina's Transgender Bathroom law say and what issues does it bring up?

How does the U.S. treatment of the LGBT community compare with other countries? What countries are the most friendly? The most hostile?

Why did the instructor include readings about an incestuous adult relationship, a polygamous family and a "human pet" who practices the BDSM lifestyle in a section on LGBT rights?