If I tried to put down all the reason why I would not want to be gay in today’s world I will probably would have never finished this article. I think the world is still not ready to fully accept homosexuals as a part of our society and we continue to discriminate against them. Looking at our current attitude towards gays and lesbians it's hard to believe they feel welcomed in society. There are many misconceptions about homosexuals and people continue to believe them. I have tried to highlight some of the major issues that homosexuals continue to fight against.

1. Gay marriage is still illegal in most of the country.
Perhaps one of the biggest struggles that homosexuals continue to face is the right to marry a person they love. The world is not yet ready to accept gay marriage as a legitimate union. There have been cases where gay marriage is legalized for a short period, only to be overturned by legislation. The most famous such incident took place in California. By restricting the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, proposition 8 overturned the California Supreme Court's ruling (In re Marriage Cases) that “statutes that treat persons differently because of their sexual orientation should be subjected to strict scrutiny” and that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

2. Homosexuality is treated like a disease or considered a lifestyle choice.
Even today many people believe that homosexuality is a disease or a lifestyle choice. All major mental health organizations, including the American Psychological Association (APA), have stated that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. Other studies have confirmed that homosexuality is not a lifestyle choice, that there are biological reasons that contributes to ones gender orientation. Despite all the scientific evidence, "Straight Camps" still exist which claim to cure gay people.

3. Homosexuals are denied from serving the military openly.
Homosexuals are not allowed to serve openly in the US military. US military has adopted a don't ask, don't tell policy which restricts efforts to discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members or applicants, while barring those that are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual from military service. These restrictions are mandated by federal law. It is a shame to realize that the military expects full patriotism from its soldiers but cannot grant basic human rights to their soldiers.

4. No employment protection for gays and lesbians.

Only about half the states provide protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation in the private sector. This means a private employer can deny employment to homosexuals simply because of their sexual orientation. Currently, only a few states provide protection in both the public and private workplace: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

5. You can get death penalty in some countries for being gay.
Life for homosexuals can be even more difficult in some developing countries. How difficult? How about death penalty! Many African countries such as Sudan, Rwanda, or Somalia strictly prohibit homosexuality and is punishable by death penalty. There is a good article about LGBT rights by country in wikipedia which describes the laws on homosexuality around the world.

6. Homosexuals are restricted from right to worship or practice religion.

Many religious organizations advocate against homosexuals and do not welcome gays and lesbians to their religious institutions. As a result, many homosexuals do not visit their church or temple to avoid harassment and confrontation with people who don't understand them. Some religious leaders preach against homosexuality and call it a sin. Some have even referenced holy books, such as the Bible, and have made interpretations that condemn homosexuality.

7. Gays have to live a life in isolation after being rejected by friends and family.

Probably the saddest reality is that people who are suppose to stand behind and support their friends and family, are sometimes the ones who abandon you first. Many families and friends fail to understand the feelings of their homosexual member and simply reject and break all relations with them. Homosexuals often end up living a life of isolation without any social support, which is one of the worst types of punishments in my point of view.

8. Homosexuals are much more prone to hate crime.

Our society has portrayed homosexuals as people to be disgusted by. They are treated like outcasts. As a result homosexuals are often targets of hate crimes. I have heard many cases where homosexuals are bullied and harassed in schools and college campuses without any effort by the authorities to stop it. I believe in 2009, a lesbian became a target of hate crime where she was beaten and raped by 4 men who were trying to teach her a lesson. It is hard to believe that things like that can happen in today's society.

9. Gays are prohibited from adopting children.

Some states such as . There are myths that claim if a child is raised by a gay couple then he/she is more likely to be gay or it can negatively effect a child's development. All such myths have been discredited by American Psychological Association saying "there is no reliable evidence that homosexual orientation per se impairs psychological functioning" of a child.

10. Homosexuals are restricted from donating blood.
We are continuously falling short of blood reserves. Many people have rare blood types and its getting much harder to find matching donors. Despite such shortage, homosexuals are restricted from donating blood. In response to 1980's AIDS crises FDA banned men who have sex with other men from donating blood. Their argument was that homosexuals have a higher chance of contracting and transmitting STDs including HIV. Just because one group has a higher chance of transmitting a disease does not justify banning of blood donation by that group. The decision should be made based on facts rather than assumptions.