...LGBT Equality With the recent legalization of gay marriage in California and Maryland the ever-present debate about same sex marriage has been intensified. It seems that every year there are a couple of events that make some people celebrate the progress in the fight for equality, and others disapprove of these happenings and say that decisions like these will take the world to chaos and disaster. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community has always fought for equality and, in recent years, there have been many milestones in the fight towards equality. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of opposition to the idea of marriage equality and LGBT parenting. Religious beliefs are one of the primary reasons for people to oppose the idea of gay marriage and ideas of homosexuality being natural in general. In addition, strong ties between Religious institutions and governments create an environment where it is hard for members of the LGBT community to get the same legal standing as their heterosexual counterparts. In many countries homosexuality and acts of homosexuality are considered crimes. In some countries, like Iran and Saudi Arabia, being gay is punishable by death (Foreign Policy). People have the right to marry the man or woman they love and have a family with them. Unfortunately, this is a right that is reserved for heterosexual couples, mostly because of religious mentalities and traditions. Governments should legalize same sex marriage and adoption, because...
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...treatment and access to all the same benefits of a heterosexual couple. In the following 4 Literature Reviews it will show the difference in opposing views on LGBT Marriage. In an article from The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships they reviewed a study done to examine how the LGBT men and women assign meaning to legally recognized same-sex marriage and its impact on their understanding of the LGBT community. This was an open-ended web survey that asked participants to consider the ways in which legally recognizing same-sex marriage could positively and negatively affect the LGBT community. 288 people participated in this study. It was a mix of both men and women ranging in ages from 19-66 years. They also had a mix of different racial and ethnic heritage. There were several open-ended questions followed by questions regarding demographics and other close-ended questions. The two main open-ended questions were, “In your opinion, how may legalizing same-sex marriage change the LGBT community for the better?”; “In your opinion, how may legalizing same-sex marriage change the LGBT community for the worse?” As a result this study showed four very clear and strong themes among the participants. The first theme was legal equality. This served as a surface theme for deeper understandings of same-sex marriage. Legal equality was seen as affecting the community for the better. Although it had 3 sub themes to help...
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...and fair representation. It can be anything from equality between races, gender and/or sexual preferences. For example, on Twitter, there was a post that said there was going to be a Pixar movie in the near future with an LGBT main character. Someone replied that LGBT has already prevalent in society and doesn’t need to be forced into the lives of others. Sexual identity has become more and more apparent over the past few years. Having an LGBT main character is possible and in no way is it wrong. Having this would not seem out-of-place in society because varying preferences are becoming more popular. The ratio of LGBT main characters on television to the amount of members in...
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...Diversity in Workplace Sexual Orientation Professor Antionette Dee Currie Richardson Human Resources Management Andre Marcano Florida State College Jacksonville MAN 4301, SUMMER 2014 Abstract This paper looks at the impact of being Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) in the workplace and if there are any limitations by various organizations. Most organizations often claim to value diversity, many Human Resource Systems are developed to encourage, reinforce and allow only similarities. Understanding the economic rationale for discrimination of LGBT and the implications contributes to improving Human Resource Discrimination policies that take into account workforce diversity. Employers should introduce diversity programs to educate employees and create an environment that is more hospitable to LBGT individuals and their allies. The goals and objective of the organizations training must be clearly defined and communicated. The challenge arises when forces within the organization operate to attract, select and retain an increasingly homogeneous group of people. This will suggest shifts in organizational policies, at the same time employees who are antigay or homophobic may dislike the shift in policy and begin to leave the organization. The net effect is to produce a workplace that is more accepting of change. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) an estimated gay and lesbian population at five percent of the U.S. population over 18 years of age...
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...articles was not random; I specifically chose articles whose titles and introductions were of particular interest. The three news sources, particularly the Times and The Advocate, published many articles related to LGBT issues—typically greater than a dozen for each weekly search—from which I selected only two per week. In sifting through the 16 articles, I identified three important themes that tie, by and large, the articles together: notions of inalienable rights (marriage), the normalization of homosexuality, and LGBT and frequently, by extension, women’s empowerment. I argue that the Times, by virtue of its wide distribution and generally positive portrayal of LGBT people, attempts to ‘normalize’ (nationally) sexual orientations other than heterosexual; that The Advocate, whose primary audience is LGBT people, attempts to promote LGBT empowerment (encourages LGBT people to stand up for themselves), contemplating a world in which LGBT people enjoy equal rights and equal protection; and that Newsweek, a national weekly magazine, highlights the political debate about rights, generally being more circumspect/judicious than the other two outlets in its approach to expressing support for the LGBT community (perhaps an expression of a little occasional discomfort with LGBT issues, which could reinforce discomfort in the public and male heterosexism). The news sources do not participate in the construction of attitudes exclusively in the ways I have suggested. For the sake of organization...
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...identify as LGBT, which then concludes that 7.3% of the US population identifies as LGBT. Unfortunately, studies from CBS News and Pew Research surveys present that 53% of LGBT people still feel that they are being discriminated and 39% have been rejected by family and friends. As many may know, but for those who have not learned, June is Pride Month in the US. Pride Month is a way for people in the LGBT+ community to feel pride in the accomplishments they have created and the obstacles they have overcome from all the discrimination and hatred faced in order to feel free. While many outside the LGBT+ community assume that after the right for marriage equality in 2015 that the community has "finally won", this is not the case. There are a...
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...Women and LGBT Diversity in the United States Sharon Shewmake ETH/125 September 21, 2014 Maria Kithcart Women and LGBT Diversity in the United States It is fair to say that great strides have been made concerning equality for women throughout the United States. It is also fair to say that the fight is far from over. For nearly 167 years, women have fought tirelessly to gain equal rights. The Feminist Movement began in the summer of 1848. “The first women’s rights convention began, attended by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and other pioneers in the struggle for women’s rights. This first wave of feminists battled ridicule and scorn as they fought for legal and political equality for women” (University of Phoenix, 2012, p. 350). Susan B Anthony is probably the most widely recognizable participant from the suffrage movement. She was arrested while attempting to vote in the presidential election in 1872. It was not until 1919 that women finally gained the legal right to cast their votes. “Despite the opposition, the suffrage movement succeeded in gaining women the right to vote, a truly remarkable achievement because it had to rely on male legislators to do so” (University of Phoenix, 2012, p. 351). Unfortunately it would be many decades before a notable amount of progress was made. In the 1960’s, the Civil Rights Movement took up much of the attention. The anti-war movement did as well. Women’s rights seemed to get moved to the backburner. In the meantime, women...
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...Diversity Organizations Paper Dagenais' J. Garrett Eth/125 October 19, 2014 Maria Watts Diversity Organizations Paper Throughout most of history, women have endured so much. They almost always had fewer legal rights and career opportunities. The main professions tied to women were wifehood and motherhood. According to "Women's History in America" (1995), “Women were long considered naturally weaker than men, squeamish, and unable to perform work requiring muscular or intellectual development.” The common stereotype was “a woman’s place is in the home.” Women went through the struggles of not being able to get an education, voice their opinions, not having the right to vote, and being viewed as property. Gladly, the role women play in the United States has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Despite the thoughts of men being stronger than women, “physiological tests now suggest that women have a greater tolerance for pain, and statistics reveal that women live longer and are more resistant to many diseases” ("Women's History in America", 1995). In 1969, women made up only about one-third of the workforce. Like it should have always been, now more and more women have taken on new responsibilities outside of home by joining the paid workforce and they make up almost half of all workers in the United States ("The State of Women In America", 2014). However, although women have made big advances in every field, they still endure discrimination. If both male and...
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...The LGBT Community face many inequalities when it comes to civil rights. LGBT couples or individuals are denied rights to adopt and foster children in some states. They are being judged as bad candidates because of their sexual orientation. Transgender parents battle for custody of their children on the terms that their transition will negatively affect the kids. According to Salek (2013), Since custody agreements try to satisfy the "best interest of the child," the transgender parent is often placed in a bad light because of their transition. Some states refuse to recognize same-sex parents with a legal parent-child relationship. American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Utah State Office of Vital Records for denying a partner...
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...population, about 12 million people, identify within the LGBT community. Further, of these 12 million people, 30% belong to the 18-29 age range - primarily made up of young college students, postgraduates, and professionals. This works out to, by very conservative estimates since these surveys depend on the "willingness of LGBT individuals to disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity", to about around 3,600,000 LGBT college students(PEW RESERACH). Considering that the U.S. Government estimates 20.2 million students to be enrolled in college in the Fall of 2015, it stands that almost 1 in 5 students on a college campus fall into the LGBT spectrum. However, we can't simply boil the LGBT population down to numbers, nor can we estimate the number of people whom support these LGBT students. Simply put, these are the students who are discriminated against - facing verbal insults, physical violence, and rape - and whom long for peace and equality. Some are very lucky, finding themselves on campuses which have LGBT support groups, equity centers, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Others, however, due to chance, financial obligations, or numerous other factors in the college decision process, are placed on campuses where they have to fear the prospects of...
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...The Status of LGBT’s and Women While the United States of America is called the land of the free, it has not always been as such for many different members of the country. Depending on a person’s race, gender, or even their sexual orientation, some people have been deemed as not deserving to have the same rights and equality that the rest of us have enjoyed during our time here. While over time this has been reversed for the most part, women and members of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) community still do not always get to have their rights respected. Following is a look at where women and LGBT started and where they stand today, as well as some concepts that are held about gender and some issues that are relevant to both women and LGBT. Women have not always enjoyed the equality that they share with men today. There was a time when women were considered to have a place, and that place was not in the work force, or voicing their opinions, but in the home where they were considered to have “belonged”. Generally, wifehood and motherhood were regarded as a woman’s most relevant professions (Women's International Center). Not only that, but they were also considered material possessions of their husband for all intents and purposes that the law was concerned. This philosophy over women did not originate in America, it has actually been held by many different cultures throughout the history of the world. For example, it was Eve who first took a bite...
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...met by obstacles in the form of society, their culture, and even their parents. Though LGBT community has faced a lot of discrimination and prejudice, through the building LGBT community and positive media representation, the community has seen a lot of improvement....
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...words of Deputy Inspector Pine that were used in response to the Stonewall Inn Riots that took place in 1969. The Stonewall riots were not the first, nor would it be the last of pro LGBT uprisings against a system of injustice and institutionalized oppression. Martin Duberman and Che Gossett both examine the effect of and the history of the riots, however Duberman historicizes the personal narratives of some individuals who participated or were present, and Gossett explores the process of memorializing such events and the impact that privileging narratives has on the authenticity of the event. This paper will analyze the articles of Che Gossett and Martin Duberman on the Stonewall Inn uprising, the precursors associated to it, and it’s privilege within the memorialization and the historical narrative of LGBT uprisings....
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...bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organizations commended the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today for announcing important changes to the way in which the “abstinence-only-until marriage” program will be administered. The coalition includes national LGBT organizations working on youth issues, including the Family Equality Council; Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); National Center for Transgender Equality; National Coalition for LGBT Health; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National; and The Trevor Project. The changes, which roll back the draconian and profoundly anti-LGBT ways in which the program was run during the Bush administration, will allow states to choose which sections of the program they will highlight and allow them to fund programs utilizing mentoring, counseling and adult supervision programs. In addition, the changes highlight the unique impact these programs have on LGBT youth so that states can work to lessen the harm caused, and they require programs to provide information that is "medically accurate," meaning it cannot be based on unproven or false information. "This is a major step in the right direction for all families. We applaud HHS and urge Congress to finally end destructive abstinence-only programs. All children deserve science-based education programs that are inclusive of everyone, including our LGBT loved ones,” said PFLAG Executive...
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...During the 60's it was difficult to be in the LGBT+ community. In New York, and many other states, it was illegal to be gay in public, and even businesses and gay bars were frequently raided and closed. One night at The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located in Greenwich Village, New York, a police raid turned violent. Customers at the bar stood on the street and watched as police arrested employees, and threw 3 drag queens and a lesbian into a wagon. This had happened multiple times before, and usually resulted in the patrons scattering back to their homes. This time, however, the people in the bar were tired of being treated this way so they took a stand. Instead of scattering and returning to their homes, they stood outside the bar and began shouting at the policemen who, having been accustomed to peaceful patrons and uneventful raids, were still inside the bar. The policemen barricaded themselves inside the bar and called for backup....
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