LGBTQ activism encouraged changes in Canadian law by shining a light on the inequalities this community was facing. By mid-1990s, Canadian courts declared it was prohibited to discriminate based on sexual orientation by section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. At the same time, gender identity was added to the human rights code in the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in the early 2010s. These new changes to public policies brought an overall shift in public belief about the inappropriateness of discrimination, as well as it offered a legal platform for claims for those who had been harassed. Their inequalities were given a new legal framework, so they would no longer be deprived of a fair treatment. …show more content…
Although many students will face bullying and teasing in their schooling experience, members of the LGBTQ community are more propense to be victims of violence and hate speech in schools. A study showed that LGBTQ youth “are often at greater risk for harassment, prejudice, and the potential development of a number of emotional, behavioural, and social problem including depression, suicide, dropping out, truancy, homelessness, and problematic substance use.” In this instance, activists groups were created by the board, teachers, equity staff and students. The two most influential activist groups in education-policy changing were the Toronto Board of Education Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Employees Group and the Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC (GALE). These two and other local community groups who were mainly interested in youth issues offered volunteer speakers for schools to advocate for a better educational system. During this time, LGBTQ activists focused on harassment and bullying in schools since homophobic and transphobic harassment built a negative climate for students. Yet, activists were scared of portraying sexual minorities youth through a victim lens and treating the problem in individualistic and not systematic …show more content…
They focus their resources to bring change to public policy, public opinion and social and cultural practices. Even though social movements might seem like something easy to execute, they actually take considerable amounts of effort and several factors to be efficient. A social movement must draw on various resources in order to mobilize. These resources include different factors; such as cultural resources, strategic, tactical and collective identities; socio-organizational resources, organizational structures of the movements and its networks; humans resources known as activists; material resources, money and office spaces; and moral resources, legitimacy for a cause and public opinion. Activists use strategic communication to influence public opinion, media framing of issues and government policy. Thus activism is hard to understand, there are critical theories that compare this practice with public relations. Activism is frequently situated in the political and economic structures, but LGBTQ activists have played an important role in public policies in a cultural aspect as well. Therefore, a theory that acts as a bridge is the cultural-economic model (CEM); which provides alternative ways in which we can conceptualize public relations and activism based on the dynamic culture of public relation practices. The
Prior to the 1970’s, members of the LGBTQ community, and especially those who also identified as people of color, were forced to stay silent despite constant discrimination because of their minority statuses. They did not have a voice or means to speak out against the oppression. During the 1960’s, the few safe spaces established for QPOC in urban communities had disappeared, since this particular era was being overshadowed by the Civ...
Schools need to includes sexual orientation and gender identity into the existing policies and inform employees and students about it. The state will reimburse if the implementation for statewide cost does not exceed $1,000,000. The values of teaching students to not discriminate against anyone is a “discussion about respect for differences” and that this discussion concern “equity and civil rights”; this lesson will be with students throughout their life (Sexual Orientation, Our Children & The Law, 9). The fact that this bill provides safety for sexual minority students and helps reduce violence that can lead to suicide outweighs the
For many generations, especially in North America, homosexuality was not accepted in any way, shape, or form. Many believed that it was a medical illness that was curable, when in reality, people were, and still are, ignorant and could not come to terms that everyone in this world is different from one another. For many instances of being treated unjust, many individuals in the gay community did not want to “expose” themselves and remained in the “closet”. As means to make gays and lesbians proud and take a stand for who they are, a movement spread across internationally. This movement is known as “The Gay Liberation” movement which occurred between the late 1960s and the early to mid 1970s (“Gay Liberation”). The Gay Liberation movement urged individuals of the gay community to “come out,” revealing their sexuality to their loved ones as a form of activism, and to counter shame with gay pride (“Gay Liberation”). The Stonewall Riots are believed to have been the spark that ignited the rise of the Gay Liberation movement; it influenced the way the gay community is viewed socially and how their rights are politically present day.
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
What this paper will focus on is the fact that many individuals are viewing the inequality of transgender too closely and bypassing the importance of Canadian Citizens safety. Bill C-279fights to include transgender ass a valid “gender” protected under human rights, which wou...
Grant, Jaime M., Ph.D., Lisa A. Mottet, J.D., Justin Tanis, D.Min., Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman, Ph.D., and Mara Keisling. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Rep. National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011. Web. 22 May 2014.
Throughout history, efforts towards gay rights journeyed on an uphill battle and were not majorly successful until recent years. Starting with the Cold War period in the 50’s, there was a growth in homosexual couples in the urban subculture where they were investigated and harassed by the police. During the 60’s, however, the march towards gay equality took a left turn and there was an increase in gay rights activism. Some goals of the activists were to decriminalize homosexual acts, receive equal treatment under the law, and for people to be educated by unbiased facts about homosexuality. Their efforts prevailed and the activists achieved the following: the right to publish gay magazines, victory of discrimination of employment cases, constraints on police harassment, opening of dialogue in scientific and religious communities, media visibility, organizational impulse, and denunciation of how gays are a mistreated minority.
On Earth, the world population has reached over 7 billion people who belong to over 5000 ethnicities. With over 7 billion people, you would think there are some major differences in us all, but the most prominent difference is our skin color. With the difference in skin color has come prejudice towards certain ethnic or racial minorities and from that has stemmed discrimination. Take the civil rights movement of the 1960’s for example. Even after 50 years and with the election of President Barack Obama, African Americans still feel underrepresented and discriminated against. Another example is the Women’s Rights Movement which started in 1840 and is still prominent today. Just over a year ago a ban was finally lifted which kept women from fighting in combat over-seas. And still today, women are oppressed in the workforce due to the glass ceiling, an invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual in a work environment because of the individual’s gender, race, or ethnicity. A further example and the one that serves as the basis to this paper is the Stonewall riots, the beginning of the LGBT movement and societies view towards homosexuality since then. “This Gay Liberation movement, initiated by the Stonewall Riots in New York, expressed the twin intentions of discrediting psychiatric and medical models of homosexuality, and of attempting a large-scale transformation of society” (Downing, 2011). By the mid-1970s, the LGBT movement helped to establish gay identity as a legitimate minority group – the gay community.
Nearly a quarter of all students ages 6-19 are bullied or harassed at school as a result of their beliefs, race, nationality, sexual orientation, and more (“Bullying”). When examining bullying to LGBT youth, it is crucial to consider direct bullying and biased comments made by students. The most noticeable remarks used in schools is when the word “gay” is used in a negative way, usually to mean that something is “stupid” or “dumb.” About 70% of LGBT students state they have often heard these types of remarks. Direct victimization in schools happens more regularly among LGBT youth than among heterosexual peers. In a school climate survey of LGBT youth, students were asked about experiences of verbal harassment, physical harassment, and physical assault linked to being LGBT. Students described persistent harassment and assault at school in the survey (“Kosciw”).
There are certainly various points in history that can be construed as trailblazing for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. One event in particular, however, sparked awareness and a call to action that previously could never have been conceptualized in the United States. This unforgettable incident, the Stonewall riots of 1969, altered the public’s view of the gay community and arguably jumpstarted the next revolution in an entirely new civil rights movement.
Henning-Stout, M., James, S., & Macintosh, S. (2000). Reducing harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in schools. School Psychology Review, 29(2), 180.
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.
Williams, T., Connolly, J., Pepler, D., & Craig, W. (2003). Questioning and sexual minority adolescents: High school experiences of bullying, sexual harassment and physical abuse. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health. Special Issue: Disrupting Normalcy: Lesbian, Gay, Queer Issues and Mental Health, 22 (2), 47-58.
1 vols. Issues: Hate Crimes. 14 March 2014 www.hrc.org/the-hrc-story>. Joanna Almeida, Renee M. Johnson, Heather L. Corliss, Beth E. Molnar. Emotional Distress among LGBT Youth: The Influence of Perceived Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation.