Blog Post Five

 

Question I will be exploring: Quinn, Rounds, and Munoz-Pazza state that "persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender continue to face extreme social, legal, and institutional discrimination"(82). What are some examples of this discrimination? How has the discrimination against LGBTQ people changed since the writing of this article (in 2002)?

 

 

 

      The LGBTQ community faces a great amount of social discrimination. Our world and social perspective is based on heterosexism and largely espouses heteronormativity. This means that heterosexism is viewed as the "normal" or "better" sexual orientation. (I greatly disagree with such ideology.) In addition, LGBTQ persons face many instances of violence. For example, they are often attacked in public places such as restaurants and bars. Violence against people of non- heterosexual orientation sadly has a long history. For example, many homosexuals were imprisoned and killed during the Holocaust. In addition to facing heterosexism and violence, LGBTQ people often face verbal abuse.
      In terms of legal discrimination, LGBTQ people can still not marry in a number of states. 33 states still deny same sex marriage. Furthermore, many LGBTQ couples are denied the extension of benefits like healthcare to spouses.
      In regards to institutional racism, many schools do not provide LGBTQ students with the same amount of support and resources as their heterosexual peers. Also, many people are discouraged from coming out in the workplace.
      Although acceptance and gay rights still have a far way to come, many improvements have been made since the writing of this article. For example, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed in 2009. This act made hate crimes based on sexual orientation punishable by federal law. Also, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that job discrimination against LGBTQ individuals is a form of sex discrimination. I still believe many improvements can be made. I think all states should allow gay marriage. I believe this because marriage is not necessarily strictly religious. People can be married at court houses with no religion involved. Furthermore, there is no compelling governmental interest that would prevent the marriage of LGBTQ couples.