The LGBT Community: The Need for an Anti-Discrimination Bill

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Recommended: Discrimination towards the LGBT community

The need for an anti-discrimination bill for members of the LGBT community is large and the discrimination against LGBT identifying individuals extends far past the workplace and into the homes and communities. Only 11 states currently provide transgender victims with protection under hate crimes. In all other states, violent crimes against transgender individuals are prosecuted without a hate crime enhancement. Transgender individuals often find it hard to find employment and feel safe. Due to the job discrimination that most trans individuals experience, they may end up unemployed. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey published statistics that show 26% of transitioning transgender persons have lost their jobs as a result of extreme prejudice. Unsurprisingly, this same prejudice leads to trans individuals generating less income than the national average. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey reports that about 15% of all employed transgender persons make less than $10,000 a year, twice the national statistic of 7%. The survey showed that transgender people of color experience the most discrimination income-wise in the LGBT community with the statistic that 35% of all black transgender persons reported making less than $10,000 per year. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2012 saw the 4th highest number of anti-LGBT homicides overall, with the total coming to 25. Of these crimes, 73% of the victims were reported to be LGBT people of color, and 53% of the victims were reported as transgender women. Implementing anti-discrimination laws could allow the LGBT community to have more job security and protect them from homelessness and excessive violence. 47% of the overall LGBT identifying p...

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...sing issues with lesbian and gay individuals along with protection for other minorities. While the Equality Act was not all inclusive, it had the right idea about what was needed to help improve the lives of people who are regularly discriminated against. According to civilrights.org, “ENDA is modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, and color, ENDA works within the boundaries of the Civil Rights Act to protect a group of people who have been historically and are currently discriminated against.” The fact that ENDA is directly modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 correctly validates its cause. The LGBT community has always had to face discrimination on many levels and protecting these people with the law could help to curb a lot of the hatred this community receives.

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