Racism In The LGBT Community

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Introduction The topic explored in this paper is the issue of race in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. While movement forward for LGBT rights in the past ten years has been monumental, there is still much work to be done. Racism still runs through the LGBT movement, though often in the form of microaggressions and other covert forms of discrimination. Often times, people tend to believe that all LGBT folks share the same experiences, when in reality, LGBT people of color face harsher discrimination than their White counterparts, even within their own community. In order for the LGBT equal rights movement to achieve its full potential, true equality must be found.
Rationale
Even in the LGBT movement, there is an …show more content…

They discuss “safe spaces” for LGBT members and how often they are focused solely on eliminating heterosexism and homophobia, “as if anti-LGBT bias is experienced similarly by all LGBT people” (Fox and Ore, 2010). In fact, that is not the case, and LGBT people of color face more minority stress than do White LGBT people. Along with that, there is a profound feeling of a lack of acceptance and belonging that LGBT people of color face, because the movement and community is so focused on White LGBT people (Giwa and Greensmith, 2012).
Stakeholders
Everyone, both in and out of the LGBT community, is a stakeholder in achieving true racial equality. LGBT people of color are the main stakeholders in this fight for equality, as the discrimination affects them personally in their every day lives. White LGBT people also hold stakes in the issue, because racism affects everyone in negative ways, even when it is not obvious upon first glance. Finally, LBGT service providers and organizations hold stakes in discrimination and racism, as they are unable to fully support everyone in the community when racism is involved in any way. …show more content…

Because racism is a social issue, it “cannot be addressed solely on an individual, intrapersonal level” (Giwa and Greensmith, 2012). Organizations and the community as a whole must take responsibility for breaking down systemic racism. Any and all service providers for the LGBT community also need to focus their efforts on becoming anti-racist and assisting to move toward equality and equity as much as possible. It is vital that change occurs on the individual level as it is being advocated for on a macro level. Change does need to take place on all levels, but it will be most visible when individuals take responsibility for their actions and change the way they think, talk, and act about race. Ultimately, White LGBT community members are responsible for making a change and eradicating racism within their community. They must be willing to take a look at themselves and their own biases and challenge what they have been taught by

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