“The land of the free and the home of the brave” is the closing line to the United States’ National Anthem. This lyric shouts equality and freedom for all. This lyric isn’t just understood as this for citizens of America, but is also, how many people from all over the world believe America is. This magnificent country is a nation that many foreigners travel to, to live a life of freedom; to express themselves freely, in a way that may be impossible where they come from. America is a country that believes in democracy. Democracy is a form of government in which the ultimate power is vested in the people, and exercised directly by them, or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. Democracy focuses on the principle of social equality. In other words, its purpose is to allow all of its citizens the same rights and freedoms. However, we, the people of America can’t continue to call ourselves the “land of the free” if we all aren’t free to the same degree. Although this great country may offer more rights and freedoms to its citizens when …show more content…
When focusing on the case of Bottoms v. Bottoms within the state of Virginia, the Virginia Supreme Court claimed that a lesbian mother wasn’t unfit as a matter of law, but upon factoring in her sexual orientation, she was immediately considered an undesirable parent. As a result, the mother lost her custody rights and the child’s grandmother received custody over the child. Patterson argued, “Thus, in some states, lesbian and gay parents must overcome formal or informal presumptions that their sexual identities make them less than ideal parents”. This shows how it isn’t just those who have strictly been involved in homosexual relationships that are finding difficulty in seeking custody over children, even if that child is biologically