Which statement best describes the relationship between the fourteenth
amendment and the lgbt civil rights movement?

a. the fourteenth amendment's due process clause allowed lgbt
civil rights activists to win equal rights without having to sue in
federal courts.

b. the fourteenth amendment's due process clause held back lgbt
civil rights progress, as it applied specifically to racial and ethnic
minorities.

c. the fourteenth amendment's equal protection clause was the
basis for expanding lgbt rights, including protection for same-sex
marriage.

d. the fourteenth amendment's equal protection clause specifically
protects lgbt rights, but it took decades for these rights to be
enforced.