“Do you know what the gays did to me now? They took away my right to vote! » As much as I hate to admit it, that's what my father called me to tell me when the Supreme Court struck down California Proposition 8, an amendment to the California Constitution banning same-sex marriage in the state. , deeming it unconstitutional. He believed that because he had voted for it to pass – which he did – those who overthrew it had neglected his vote, thereby depriving him of his right to do so. I quickly pointed out to him that they hadn't taken anything away and that what really upset him was that he - or anyone else - had no right to deprive the LGBT community of their rights. Realizing he didn't understand what I had just told him, I brought up the other civil rights movements in the United States, including women's rights and suffrage, which seems obvious these days, but their struggle for suffrage alone took the upper hand. part of a century, and I asked him if he thought we should have the right to vote against their right to vote. It was the first time my father didn't have a rebuttal. It was only after the argument was over that I realized how similar the two movements actually were. Although the women's suffrage movement was not violent and was carried out primarily through organized meetings, lobbying of members of Congress, and picketing, the women who participated could do nothing to prevent the violence from occurring. their oppressors to fall on them. In January 1917, the National Women's Party, led by suffragettes Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, began demonstrating six days a week in front of the White House to demand their right to vote. Initially largely ignored, they were frequently attacked without police assistance. Then from... middle of paper ......crime-statistics-show-slight-decrease>."LAWRENCE V. TEXAS." LAWRENCE V. TEXAS. Np, June 26, 2003. Web. April 12, 2014. Nash, Carl. “Gay and Lesbian Rights Movements.” Gay and lesbian rights movements. Chicago Historical Society., nd Web. April 12, 2014. Not for Us Alone: ​​The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Real. Ken Burns and Paul Barnes. Prod. Ken Burns and Paul Barnes. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), 1999. VAST: Academic Video Online. Internet. April 12, 2014. .One woman, one voice. Real. Ruth Pollak. Prod. Ruth Pollak. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), 1995. VAST: Academic Video Online. Internet. April 12. 2014. .