Back in the 1950s and 60s, African-Americans stood up and demanded their equality in American society. Thus, the Civil Rights Movement was born. They cried and shouted that the belief of 'separate by equal," and businesses catering to whites only was an abomination, a tyranny and an unjust policy. In the 1960s, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African-Americans achieved their goal of equality. The United States stood proud.
After the Civil Rights Era, there were groups and others that followed suit and demanded what they believed was the same thing, though I differ. Animal Rights Activists demanded equality for animals essentially to be treated the same as humans. Welfare recipients demanded their "civil rights" to a paycheck, housing and more. Groups demanded that certain individuals in college and elsewhere be gagged and thrown out because they claimed it violated their "civil rights." Feminists demanded the right to abortion and abortion funding by government claiming that was a "civil right." Yesterday, members of Congress passed a Health Care Law and claimed that health care was a "civil right."
The word "Civil Rights," has been twisted to mean just about anything imaginable. Whereas the original term meant equality before the law, equality in society regardless of race, color, sex or creed, the words have now been perverted to support the cause du jour which has nothing to do with civil rights or equality 90% of the time. People and groups have used a noble and sincere movement like the Civil Rights Movement to promote causes unrelated to that great struggle. This perversion of the meaning of 'Civil Rights' has got to end and the original meaning be restored.