The Constitution of the United States was designed to help ensure that the government did not neglect the rights of the people. Unfortunately, even with the intentions of protecting the people, the founders created a government that often does ignore segments of the population. It is for this reason that social movements emerge. Through the process of gaining support from within society, segments of the population hope to gain acceptance within the government as well. Two important institutions that can help a social movement achieve their goals are the media and private companies, because of the influence they have within society. With the help of the media and private companies, the gay and lesbian movement has been able to make significant gains is changing public support towards homosexual issues. As a result, the political climate for gays and lesbians is slowly shifting towards policies that address gay and lesbian issues.
