LBGTQ Discrimination vs. Support
As time has gone by, the LGBTQ community has grown immensely and progressed within society in regards to being treated with the same equal privileges and respect that cis-hetero individuals have always been treated with. The truth to the matter is that although there has been a significant amount of positive change involving the issue of LGBTQ treatment, there are still so many points of discrimination and inequality that is present and overlooked by people nowadays.
It has been reported that the majority of LGBTQ Americans have experienced a form of harassment or discrimination because of their sexuality or their gender identity. A survey recently done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that more than half of a sample group of about 500 queer-identifying adults had dealt with harassment in the form of slurs or offensive comments. The survey also found that a majority of the individuals surveyed had an LGBTQ friend or relative who had been threated, sexually harassed, or experienced violence due to their identity. This is a prime example of the problem that is relevant in today’s society but is commonly ignored. Individuals in the LGBTQ community should not have to deal with being treated differently because of the way they choose to identify as and society should continue to stay attentive to the privileges that they don’t receive along with everybody else.
Discrimination in schools
Schools are the number one environment where a queer-identifying individual could face different counts of discrimination and harassment, and could truthfully be the environment that holds the most important effect on someone since the discrimination can start at such an early age and could be carried with that person throughout the rest of their life.
In America, over three million kids under 18 identify as LGBTQ, and a report by GLSEN in 2015 found that 85 percent of those kids have experienced harassment regularly because of their identity. Also among those, 58 percent have felt unsafe at school because of their sexuality and 43 percent have felt unsafe at school because of their gender identity. These numbers could be a direct reflection on the ways that a school helps aid in the support of their LGBTQ students. An article by GLSEN gave three simple tips for helping schools be more inclusive for their LGBTQ students, such as participating in Ally Week which allows LGBTQ students to converse with their school allies and discuss what they need. Schools and universities should always be providing the right resources and support that would help their LGBTQ students feel more safe and secure on campus.
Discrimination in the workplace
Discrimination happens in the workplace more often than it is thought to and although it can be in very subtle forms, it is also an important discriminatory environment that should be brought to people’s attention more.
In the last five years, 25 percent of LGBTQ employees reported experiencing employment discrimination, the transgender unemployment rate went three times higher than the national average, ten percent of LGBTQ employees have left jobs because of unwelcoming environments, and over one quarter of transgender people reported being fired, not hired, or denied a promotion because of their gender identity. On top of this, there are still many states in the country that do not have laws prohibiting any type of sexual or gender discrimination in the workplace. Just like on school campuses, LGBTQ employees would feel much more safe and protected at work if there was more to be done.
Progress
Many steps have been taken throughout the years to ensure the safety and equal treatment of the LGBTQ community in different environments. For example, members of Congress reintroduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SDNA) in March 2018, which is a law that was passed in order to protect any LGBTQ students from school-based harassment, bullying, violence, or intimidation.
In the year 1996, only four percent of Fortune 500 companies had policies prohibiting discrimination because of someone’s sexual orientation but as of 2017, 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies are open to employees with any gender or sexual identification and have inclusive policies that protect those employees against discrimination. Along with that improvement, in 2002, only three percent of Fortune 500 companies had nondiscrimination protection policies that included gender identity. Now, 82 percent of Fortune 500 companies include gender identity in their nondiscrimination policies.
The world has come a long way in the acceptance and equal treatment of the LGBTQ community, and while there are still many faults to be attentive to, there have been many growths as well and humanity should never stop pushing for there to be more.
