Prerequisites: RCC*. Persons with nontraditional sexual orientations face a variety of challenges that their heterosexual friends and family members do not. These include different legal standards being applied to them in employment, marriage, custody, adoption, property rights, health benefits, tax issues, and other situations. This course will explore the historic roots of sexual orientation discrimination and examine the success and failure of legislative and judicial efforts to overcome this discrimination. The role of the social sciences (including anthropology, sociology and psychology) and of popular culture (books, plays, movies, television, etc.) in both creating and breaking down barriers based on sexual orientation will also be explored. Students will be required to research and write a 10-15 page paper and may be required to take a final exam. This paper will NOT satisfy the upper level writing requirement. Satisfies perspective elective requirement.