Homophobia has been a problem for a very long time, all across the world. For example, during the Holocaust, in which homosexuals were forced to wear the “Pink Triangle”, a pink, upside down triangle, on his or her coat for identification. Of course, the pattern of homophobia is not only shown throughout world history, but American history as well. For example, sodomy laws, laws that rule certain sexual acts as crimes, were established as early as 1963. The penalty for these laws varied from state to state. Some of the punishments include: two to ten year imprisonments or two thousand dollar fines. The cruelty of these homophobic actions should not be accepted any longer. It encourages bullying, denies human beings their civil rights, and continues to foster a mentality of indifference and intolerance towards our fellow man. According to a study done by National Youth Association in 2010, 9 out of 10 students in the LGBT community have experienced harassment in school, and over ⅓ of LGBT youth have attempted suicide. More recently, statistics by the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) claim that 4 in 10 LGBT youth say that their community is not accepting of LGBT people. In 1998 the Westboro Baptist Church was brought into America’s spotlight when they picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man in the LGBT community who had been beaten to death because of his sexuality. Since then, the cruelty of WBC hasn’t ceased to leave many in sickening shock. Bullying, throughout time, has evolved. It’s not just Little Timmy being beaten up for his lunch money anymore. Now, parents are involved. Many religious households raise their children on the beliefs that bullying is A-OK if Little Timmy is a homosexual. Parents ar... ... middle of paper ... ...oot of bullying in the LGBT community. It keeps same-sex couples from sharing the benefits of marriage, and causes a mentality of indifference and intolerance towards our fellow man. Works Cited "Crimes Against Homosexuals Tracked by Government, 1988-April, 1990." DISCovering U.S. History. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. "GAY/LESBIAN/BISEXUALITY/TRANSGENDER ISSUES." African American Almanac. Ed. Brigham Narins. 10th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Student Resources in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. Grossman, Andrew. "Gay Studies." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 866-870. Student Resources in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. ProCon.org. "16 States with Legal Gay Marriage and 33 States with Same-Sex Marriage Bans." ProCon.org. 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Various controversies have arisen from the LGBT community since it stepped into the limelight during the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the events known as the beginning of the LGBT movement. One of these dilemmas is the faith identity of LGBT youth and how their sexuality might be handled as teenagers. Reparative therapies, also known as conversion therapies, have become popular ideas on how to fix teenagers’ sexual orientations. “My Take: Let’s Protect Religious Counselors Amid ‘Conversion Therapy’ Dance-Off”, authored by Gabe Lyons and published in the CNN Belief Blog, offers a subjective view on why religious freedom should be protected through conversion camps. “Five Christian Pastors in Illinois are Challenging a State Law Banning ‘Conversion
... “land of the free,” we must open our minds and hearts and realize that the LGBT community is not what is causing the catastrophe, but bigotry and abhorrence is. Homophobia, like racism, will always be an issue in society. However, with education and reconstruction, we can see a major change and improvement in the quality of life to those who are affected so deeply by hate.
...qual in dignity and rights. Why have we turned our backs on it? This should remind us that gay people are people. The next step should be public endorsement from credible religious leaders. It might seem impossible or out of our league, but I assure you it is not. Last month Dalai Lama publically stated his acceptance of homosexuality. Pope Francis stated his support for LGBT marriages. But even the biggest efforts will be ineffective, if we treat homophobia in isolation. Homophobes are likely to be people who show a general dislike for stigmatised groups. In order to eradicate this problem from our society, we need to work on overcoming all aspects of discrimination so that we create a safe space for tolerance to flourish.
Before beginning my research, I was very curious about the causes of homonegativity and how they translate into certain effects. Being that I have close friends and family members who have struggled with both internalized homonegativity and societal prejudices, I thought the subject was important to bring attention to. I did not predict how significant the effects of homophobia are on homosexuals, especially living in the most progressive era in U.S. history. Thus, homonegativity is a subject that needs to be taught based on the mental and physical wellbeing of those in the LGBTQ
In addition victimization can be more serious than verbal abuse or threats and some youth are the victims of a risen number of assaults and other hate crimes committed against gays and lesbians (Comstock, 1991; Herek, 1989 pg. 246). For college students who identify themselves as gay or lesbian, normative expectations of identity exploration render much more
This writer remembers watching Mathew Sheppard’s story unfold on the news one early morning. One could not believe that this young man was treated so inhumane for being gay. Listening as the news reporter reported that Sheppard was beat, and tied to a fence and left to die was unrealistic at the time. Why would anyone treat another human this way is baffling? Even though, Sheppard eventually did pass away from his injuries, he was not forgotten. As a result of his death, the Department of Justice (2015) “create[d] a new federal criminal law which criminalizes [when someone] willfully cause[s] bodily injury” to another human based in their “race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability” (Department
What really grinds my gears is seeing homophobia in the modern world. Yes, I acknowledge that it is seen as a sin—especially in the early times when people believe in witchcraft. Seriously, it’s 2016 and we’re having a little fit over who uses what bathroom? We’re having worse things going on! We have ISIS, we have a potential war coming up, we have school shootings and gang violence, and worse of all we have the possibility of Trump being our president and people are losing their marbles over who uses what bathroom? It’s just a bathroom! If it makes you so uncomfortable to go into a bathroom that is gender neutral, then don’t use it! Simple! Being a gay boy in school made me uncomfortable going to the boy’s bathroom/locker room. I grew up in a small town—Oroville, WA—where homosexuality wasn’t really seen, and some people felt uncomfortable by it. I hated going to the boy’s bathroom/locker room because I constantly felt I didn’t belong with them, but I didn’t belong with the girls either…I didn’t know where I belonged. I felt if I went into the boy’s bathroom/locker room, then they would judge me or feel uncomfortable with me in there—I used to think that boy’s hated me in there because they felt that I was looking at them or checking them out
They also experience prejudice in the work force. Data has shown that it is possible that if members of the LGBT community are open about their sexuality they could be declined a job, or can be judged by their co workers. Discrimination within schools have caused a big issue on bullying which is leading many young people to take drastic measures such as suicide to end the harassments and violence they experience. Studies have concluded that over thirty percent of all suicides are related in way or another to sexu...
...festyles. Many religious parents think, “Why should I talk to my child? My child is living a life that is against the Bible”. Parents do not understand that the child is still their child. The child is a person that still needs parents. In order to prevent parents from ostracizing their children, governments should establish laws that prevent parents from ostracizing their children based on their sexual orientation or gender identification. Specific scenarios in which parents want to ostracize their children based on their sexual orientation may be presented in a court of law. The United States government needs to reinforcement the prevention of ostracism of LGBT children from their parents. The establishment of new government policies preventing ostracism based on sexual orientation or gender identification will lower the rate of suicides among the LGBTQ community.
Jamie Nabozny is gay. Today the fact causes him few, if any, difficulties in life, however, throughout middle and high school Nabozny was both physically and verbally harassed; he was beaten, kicked, urinated on, called hurtful terms and abused to the point of hospitalization. However, the worst part of this innocent victim’s abuse was the role that his administration played, or rather refused to play; no action was taken to protect Nabozny despite the fact that school officials knew what was going on and had been repeatedly confronted about his abuse. In time the abuse Nabozny suffered led to doleful moods, severe depression, attempts of suicide, endeavors to run away from home, and other drastic consequences. Eventually, this young vigilante decided to fight back in order to prevent others from experiencing what he had gone through. Nabozny took legal action and, with the help of Lambda Legal Law firm, sued his former school officials for their failure to do their job of keeping him safe in school, eventually winning nearly a million dollars in a monetary settlement. Jamie Nabozny’s case has inspired the response of countless others and forced schools to take responsibility for their actions in bullying cases, because of this role model’s singular determination and readiness to stand up for himself, he has affected and inspired millions. Proving, once and for all, that one person can make a difference.
“What’s the big whoop?” asks a cute, blonde, elementary school aged boy when his teacher discusses homosexuality. He didn’t understand why people cared who other people loved. Little kids are perfect examples of how society’s negativity towards homosexuality creates homophobia. Children don’t understand why it matters who you love because they don’t see it as a problem and their opinions aren’t clouded by stereotypes. If LGBT issues were taught to these innocent, uninvolved children in elementary school, it would be more likely they would be accepting as they grew up. It is important to present LGBT in a positive light before parents, classmates, and media influence their perceptions.
D’Augelli, A.R. (1998). Developmental implications of victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. In G.M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals (pp.187-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Throughout the years, bullying has become a significant reason for teenagers to become depressed or even suicidal. It does not matter what the teen is being discriminated against, whether it be their race, what they believe in, or who they love. When it comes to homosexuality, “one in three are under 18 who commit hate crimes” (D...
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.
Baker, Jean M. How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community. New York: Harrington Park, 2002. Print.