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Brandon Dickens
Brandi Bradley
ENC 2135
13 October, 2015
LGBT Community
In 2015, gender discrimination is still a common occurrence and in many cases socially
accepted and even promoted. People are often denied of certain privileges or job opportunities
simply due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. These people are being stripped of their
human rights and denied of freedoms promised by the United States Constitution. This is an
issue that spreads across the globe and is not limited to third-world or underdeveloped nations.
The LGBT community is an embodiment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people
along with allies who join together in support of the expansion of human rights. The alliance
between queers originated in the 1970s and as the community evolved, the group became
politically focused and adopted the term LGBT (Cruells 124). The community as grown
tremendously over the past few years as allies have joined in support and policies have been
established to advance the rights of the community. Many heterosexual allies have joined the
community to support and comfort the members as well as expand their voice for equal rights.
Although the community has seen vast improvements over the past 5 years such as the end of the
military policy of Dont Ask, Dont Tell and notable progress by the United Nations, the
United States and most other nations have long path of reform until fair equality is established
(Austin).
Discrimination against LGBT members can occur in many different settings with varying
degrees of effect. Gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination can be seen through

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inequality in the workplace, targeted bullying, and the denial of equal rights by healthcare
workers or police officers. Every form of discrimination needs to be addressed and people should
be educated to prevent these instances from occurring. As the community fights for adequate
legal protection, some people outside of the community have opposing views primarily
influenced by moral or religious beliefs. These issues have been portrayed through the media,
news, and techniques used by the LGBT community to increase awareness of these issues and
potentially gain support from others outside of the community.
Many states have inadequate protection for LGBT employees and some do not have any
protection (Thompson 286). In some areas, employers can underpay or fire workers strictly due
to their gender identity or sexual orientation. Research shows that with all other factors constant,
(including education, work experience, and region) gay or bisexual men make 11-27% less than
heterosexuals with the same job (Martinez 456). Due to this lack of protection for LGBT
employees, it is impossible to obtain an accurate statistic of the LGBT community in the labor
force as many fear they will lose their job if they reveal this information. Under the religious
freedom laws granted by the first amendment, controversy has risen between maintaining equal
rights and religious freedom. Both of these rights are fundamentally important and though one
cannot simply say that one right trumps the other, it would be illogical to promote discrimination
because a religious person did not agree with, or feel comfortable doing something. In a recent
case in Canada, an owner of a printer refused to print material promoting the LGBT community.
Although discrimination was clear, the court sided with religion and justified the mans refusal to
print this material due to his religious perspective (Mendelsohn 626). The decision of this case
prompted for future discrimination against LGBT members and promoted religious freedom
above human rights. As religious toleration is maintained throughout the LGBT community,

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toleration for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people must also be maintained and their
rights cannot be denied.
As children are growing up and discovering who they are and who they want to be, they
not only have to face internal conflict, but also targeted bullying. Homophobic and transphobic
has become more common over the past few years and can have a strong impact on LGBT
members. In 2012, over half of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth in the United Kingdom had
been a victim of homophobic bullying by verbal, physical, or digital means (Marston 162).
Prejudice-based bullying can have a sever effect on students and often go unreported. After being
bullied, victims can experience suicidal ideas, depression, self-harm, and lower performance in
school (162). Students are often times scared to vocalize the harassment they have received
because they can begin to believe they deserve it for being different or do not want others to
know. At the root of homophobic bullying lies gender expectations about masculine and feminine
behavior; [t]he pressure to conform to gender expectations can be a great source of anxiety
amongst young people (164). These gender expectations limit the freedoms of young people as
they feel restricted from certain areas due to their gender. In a recent study, many girls claimed to
have enjoyed playing football when they were younger, but hesitated to continue playing as they
got older. Girls worried that they would not be accepted by boys and have a hard time getting
married or having boyfriends (Pielichaty 496). Societal expectations limit the ability for young
girls to freely find their identity and can make girls who enjoy football and want to pursue it
become an outcast. These expectations should be removed by increased education on gender
identity for the youth and equal opportunity in sports and other fields.
Members of the LGBT community often face discrimination in healthcare services and
are treated differently and sometimes like a child. In a recent case, 35-year-old George Dennis

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went to a doctor to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, prior to the procedure, while fully
competent, Dennis demanded full disclosure and designated his male partner to be the only
person the physician could discuss with. In the end, the physician disregarded Dennis demand
and without the consent of his partner, the physician told the family the family the results of the
procedure (Wahlert 58-59). Although this may seem small, it is a direct violation of LGBT rights
and causes distrust between LGBT members and government employees. This case is not an
outliers and cases like these can occur frequently in the LGBT community. Often times the
physician defends themselves by claiming a health risk to a third party, for example if the mans
partner was unaware of an STD. However, in this case there was no one else at risk as his partner
was informed and it shows a clear bias against homosexuality and breaks the confidentiality
between the client and the physician.
LGBT members also commonly face discrimination by police officers and are treated
differently and approached more often if they look queer (Dwyer 494). The relationship between
LGBT youth and police have proven to be detrimental and can be described as adversarial,
harassing, discriminatory, characteri[z]ed by mutual mistrust, and focused unnecessarily on the
surveillance and criminalization of young peoples leisure activities (494). LGBT youth often
receive increased police attention as Mac, a 19-year old gay male, claims because Im a queer
and I was dress like a queer I got treated like one (501). In numerous cases, young LGBT
members face discrimination from police officers which can have a negative impact in some
cases as serious as engagement in criminal activities and being homeless (495). These
interactions cause a growing mistrust between LGBT youth and police officers and lead to
serious consequences later on. If the youth cannot trust the people responsible for protecting their
rights, then they will be unwillingly to report violations to them in fear of being further harassed.

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This can reduce the effectiveness of future LGBT policies and contribute to further
discrimination and harass without consequence to the offender. Police need to learn how to
properly interact with LGBT people and treat them with fairness and in an equal way they would
heterosexuals. Without the respect between LGBT and police, the growth of human rights will be
hindered and all future efforts will be less effective.
Members of this community feel very strongly about these issues and frequently come
together to stand up for each other and against the discrimination they face. The LGBT
community does not want to punish those who have mistreated them, but wish to prevent future
incidences and have their rights recognized. They communicate these issues through a variety of
mediums in an attempt to create a stronger voice and have a significant influence on their
audience. Supporters will often attend pride parade and marches to show their support and draw
the attention of others. Along with face-to-face interactions, the community will also
communicate through social media. Members and supporters will sometimes change their profile
pictures and post about issues the community faces or show their support for each other and
policies which promote LGBT equality. Using multiple means of communication, the community
hopes to reach the most people and educate them on the issues that they face. However, along
with a large exposure, they are also at a large risk to be further discriminated against and
harassed by anti-LGBT people. This can be especially true on social media where people can
hide behind their digital persona and harass others without receiving direct consequences to
themselves. Most of this backlash is caused by conflicting religious beliefs or a lack of education
which causes homophobia and bias.
As the discrimination of LGBT members has increased in awareness and exposure, it has
also gained a political spotlight and many new policies have been created which focus on

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decreasing the discrimination. The first major steps towards equality occurred in 2011 when the
United Nations created policies to end violence against LGBT and to remove laws that
criminalize homosexuality (Austin). Legislators have also been working hard to pass the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would protect individuals against
employment discrimination based on sexual orientation (Martinez 455). However, this bill was
not the complete solution as it still left many opportunities for discrimination based on religious
motives (Thompson 288). Private employers could also refuse to provide an adequate reason of
why they fired or refused to hire a LGBT member and could leave them unable to find a job and
unable to pay their bills. Although there has been many shortcomings in the advancements of gay
rights, there has also been noticeable improvements such as the legalization of same-sex
marriage. In 2013, same-sex marriage was only available in ten countries, and only seven states
in the United States (Austin); in 2015, there are now 20 countries that offer same-sex marriage
and it is now legalized in all 50 states(The Freedom to Marry Internationally).
Although outside discrimination (such as occupational or targeted bullying) is one of the
most well-known issues the LGBT community faces, there are also underlying issues within the
community that also need to be addressed. According to Skye Kim, a bisexual member of the
community, bisexual and pansexual erasure is a serious issue that she has faced within the
community as well as outside of it. She describes this as when people who identify as [bisexual
or pansexual] are seen as less valid or less important in the LGBT community because they are
also attracted to the opposite sex, and are seen as having a more convenient sexuality. She
states that she has naturally felt doubt and confusion about this topic and the negative consensus
associated with this lifestyle made it even harder for her to find her identity and be comfortably
with herself. This issue exists both outside and inside the community as bisexuals and pansexuals

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are a smaller portion of the LGBT community and have less of a voice. In accordance with most
issues regarding the community, Kim suggested that the root of this issue is a lack of education,
specifically on sexuality and preferences.
Although there has been many positive steps towards equality for the LGBT community,
there have also been many issues that have been overlooked due to a variety of reasons. For
pansexuals and bisexuals, their inequality has been overlooked because of broader inequality
issues that demand more attention. It is hard to address a smaller issue, such as bisexual and
pansexual erasure, before addressing the major issues that involve the whole community. As
advancements are made towards equality, minor issues within the LGBT community will be
much easier to address.
In order to achieve equality in the LGBT community and ensure protection of these
members rights, education and public policies should adapt and become more LGBT friendly.
Although there has been a significant increase in the amount of political attention and policies
designed to help the community, there are still apparent loop holes in these documents that
continue to limit the rights of the LGBT community. To obtain true equality, stricter policies
must be enforced to prohibit any discrimination or bias against lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender people. Paired with this intended political success, social success should also be
achieved through improved education on sexuality and gender expectations. Due to the current
state of gender expectations, children have a tougher time establishing their identity and
discovering who they are. These expectations limit them and their desires to do something
because they are afraid of what others will think or react.
Many of the accomplishments made so far would not have been possible without the
alliance from straight allies. Straight allies can expand and take the voice of the LGBT

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community much further than what would have been accessible without this benefit. One does
not have to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender to have a significant impact towards equality
for this community as straight allies are essential for growth and further advancement. Skye Kim
suggests that the best way for a straight ally to have a positive impact on this community is to
seek opportunities to not only learn more but act more. An ally does not even need to attend
marches, rallies or any activity that could attract unwanted attention to that person if they do not
want to contribute in that way. One can make an impact through just supporting and loving those
around them in the LGBT community and treating them as humans with the respect they deserve.
Support and love are always welcomed with open arms (Kim).

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Works Cited
Austin, David W. "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity." International Lawyer 46.1 (2012):
447-62. Web. 6 Oct. 2015
Cruells, Marta, and Gerard Coll-Planas. "Challenging Equality Policies: The Emerging LGBT
Perspective." European Journal of Women's Studies 20.2 (2013): 122-37. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
Dwyer, Angela. "Teaching Young Queers a Lesson: How Police Teach Lessons about NonHeteronormativity in Public Spaces." Sexuality & Culture 19.3 (2015): 493-512. Web. 8 Oct.
2015
Kim, Skye. "Personal Struggles Regarding LGBT." Online interview. 8 Oct. 2015.
Marston, Kate. "Beyond Bullying: The Limitations of Homophobic and Transphobic Bullying
Interventions for Affirming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) Equality in
Education." Pastoral Care in Education 33.3 (2015): 161-8. Web. 4 Oct. 2015
Martinez, Larry R., et al. "The Role of Organizational Leaders in Sexual Orientation Equality at
Organizational and Federal Levels." Journal of Business & Psychology 28.4 (2013): 455-66.
Web. 7 Oct. 2015
Mendelsohn Aviv, Noa. "(When) Can Religious Freedom Justify Discrimination on the Basis of
Sexual Orientation?-a Canadian Perspective." Journal of Law & Policy 22.2 (2014): 613-72.
Web. 6 Oct. 2015
Pielichaty, Hanya. "Its Like Equality Now; its Not as if its the Old Days: An Investigation
into Gender Identity Development and Football Participation of Adolescent Girls." Soccer
& Society 16.4 (2015): 493-507. Web. 7 Oct. 2015
Thompson, Erik S. "Compromising Equality: An Analysis of the Religious Exemption in the
Employment Non- Discrimination Act and its Impact on Lgbt Workers." Boston College
Journal of Law & Social Justice 35.2 (May 2015): 285-318. Web. 4 Oct. 2015
Wahlert, Lance, and Autumn Fiester. "Repaving the Road of Good Intentions: LGBT Health Care
and the Queer Bioethical Lens." Hastings Center Report 44 (2014): S56-65. Web. 8 Oct.
2015