...proper. This can be easily seen in society’s treatment of non-heterosexuals, especially in the cases of marriage laws, bullying by teens and young adults, and general homophobic attitudes in our culture. It is important that these situations be changed so that each and every person has the same rights and is not harshly and wrongly judged because of the sex of the person that they love. When thinking of the word “marriage,” what comes to mind? Is it long white dresses and dapper tuxedos, or a towering cake and beautiful flowers? Do sappy love songs and the first dance come to mind? Some imagine a fairytale come true, with a horse and carriage whisking the happy couple away from the church in which they nervously exchanged vows? No matter what comes to mind, most people can agree that marriage is happy, and wonderful, and beautiful. But for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, community across America, marriage is but a distant dream. Same-sex marriages are allowed in very few states and under limited circumstances. Not only is this unconstitutional, because the American constitution gives everyone the same rights despite their sexuality, but it is simply prejudiced. A gay couple that just...
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...Although we may think blindness is something we’ve never encountered if you really analyze a situation any situation you will discover blindness. I can’t believe how blind women were in Vagina monologue and in The Laramie Project both disturbed me because I know people who could relate to both topics. Both are very close friend of mine. Starting off with Vagina Monologue the story that affected me the most was the situation with the girl who couldn’t speak English so she couldn’t tell her parents what actually happened so they assumed and treated her like she was washed up and a disgrace. She did nothing wrong and they were very wrong to assume without having and kind of communication with her. Not even to ask if she was okay being that they did think she was sexually abused. My friends Mom accused her of having sexual relations with her boyfriend which was totally gross!!! She didn’t want to hear her daughters side of the story so she just ------ her out. There was absolutely no communication going on what so ever and assumptions could go so far as to destroying something that means so much to you for no reason. Another part of the Vagina Monologue that made me think of a friend was when the girl was disgusted with her vagina!!!! She thought it was gross and she didn’t even want it… It reminded me of a girl I know who is gay, she hates her private part. She hates to acknowledge it and doesn’t even like to clean herself. She’s cried to me numerous times about...
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...English 121 Robert Solomon January 14, 2012 Compare and Contrast Throughout the years of the United States Military gays and lesbians has been banned from serving openly. They were not allowed to participate in any type of homosexual activities. This is a direct violation of these individuals’ constitutional rights but it didn’t stop the military. Homosexuals have been around and in the military for as long as the military exists they have served in some of the biggest wars. However they were at war within themselves. Young men and women were living a lie they cannot openly be who they really are and if they were even suspected of having homosexual activities they will be penalized whether it was by their peers or by the chain of command and later separated from the military. Homosexuals did exist but it was so unheard of it was almost like they weren’t there. They lived amongst their fellow comrades ‘in silence feeling trapped not being able to be free. Feeling discriminated against feeling like they are less of a sailor or soldier. Under “The don’t Ask Don’t Tell”(DADT) policy the military was not allowed to ask a recruit about their sexuality, however if there was suspicion of homosexuality they were allowed to investigate. This too was a form of discrimination against theses service members. In 2011 the ban was lifted and it is now legal for gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. This means that they can openly disclose their sexual...
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...Alexandra Vilents May 22, 2012 Final Paper Homophobia in the Black Communities. Homophobia, just like racism and sexism, is a sign of ignorance. Most people who hate or fear gays have either never met a gay person or simply do not understand what homosexuality is. In the black community, masculinity is considered to be the most important feature of a man and if a man is a homosexual, this is not just a matter of his sexual preference, being gay automatically labels you as a “fagget”, a “sissy”, or basically less of a man. Many black families traditionally attend church and thus tend to be very religious. To them homosexuality is a sin. Procreation is highly valued in African American families. Since gay men cannot produce children that makes them an “unwanted” part of this community Metrosexual is a term that can be used to describe a heterosexual urban male who tends to be very considerate of his appearance and has a defined taste in fashion. Metrosexual guys are often called “Fags” because their style and interests may be somewhat different from those of a “manly man”, but this in no way makes them a homosexual. When most men in the black communities think of a gay man this image of a very feminine, metrosexual guy comes to mind. What they do not take into consideration is that one's sexual preference is what makes them gay, not what they are wearing or how they are acting. Black men see homosexuals as a threat to their masculinity. They often think that just because...
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...Being Gay: Coming Out In The 21st Century People come from shame to pride, which is a long process. In the 1940’s the military says that you are not criminals, you are just ill. As the wars ended, and they were getting rid of military men, they started weeding out the gays. Their rights were taken away, and they were not allowed back into the military. No one ever spoke the words “gay” or “lesbian”. In 1969 stonewall took place and police showed up at the bars where the gays hung out. Typically no one fought back, however, this time they did. They say stonewall was their coming out. Activism never stopped from that point on. In 1973 the American Psychiatry removed homosexuality as a mental disorder. Then 1980 came and AIDS began spreading, and at that time there was 1.5 million people that had been diagnosed. In 1990 gay parades were going on, celebrities began coming out to the public. Even though today homosexuals are more accepted, there are still many homophobes and bigotry. Some say they get rocks thrown at them and get called names such as “fag”. Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon says that she won’t hold her girlfriends hand in public for fear that she will get beat up. There are some people who will even kill gays/lesbians when they see them. Matthew Shepherd was tied to a fence and beaten and left to die because he was gay. Research now shows that being homosexual is not an illness, not a choice, and no abnormal. Early on, “gay” meant happy, and now it is used primarily...
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...LEGALIZING this will Benefit Everyone! For years a debate has be raging betweens two sides; one for the legalization of same sex marriage and the other for doing away with the idea as a whole. If the illegality of the current topic continues then it can only damage us all in negative ways as a whole being that the United States people are all that stand in its way or atleast had been for the past years. Each day millions of Gay citizens of this country contribute to the growth of our nation and everyones wallets whether it be spiritually, politically, vocationally, socially, or culturally. The citizens of our country that make up these groups (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual) are a detremental piece to the puzzle that builds our economy and country as a whole. If these groups were to withdrawl their many contributions to this country, then it would affect the system as a whole in only negative ways. By legalizing same sex marriage then it will show these groups that they are equal to every other citizen as well as capable of having the same exact benefits. After all this country has been known to be quite the advocate for equal rights through out time based on all sorts of issues in the past such as racial discrimination, womens rights, immigration etc Affirming these minor groups in society will reduce prejudice in groups by supporting cultural diversity, thus promoting a better environment for anyone to thrive in a more accepting society. This will also boost...
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...government help people like the Ethiopian government?” I do not agree at with what is happening in Ethiopia because not only am I offended about how the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is treated and have to live in fear, but also I can connect to this article very strongly because I am bisexual. There are a lot of people who believe that non-heterosexual people are evil, demonic, or even a disease but I see normal human beings who deserve to have the same life as a straight person. To me it seems they are scared of change and progression of people. We cannot choose what our sexual orientation is. I personally think that the Ethiopians are culturally biased. Their religious beliefs don’t seem to reflect that god put us on this earth and created us differently but also similar. They don’t want to believe anyone could be different; instead they are pushing these horrible punishments upon people that are only human, want love, and to live in a place where they can enjoy life and feel safe. They even insinuate that being of the LGBT community is unclean: “Ethiopia is supposed to be clean and holy.”(Baker). Why should people like have to live in fear and not be able to have any medical treatment and their families disown them? How can they believe that the LGBT community would sexually touch another person without consent? I do believe that maybe unconsented and inappropriate sexual contact could happen but not...
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...Leadership and Self-deception Getting Out of The Box Leadership and self-deception is a book written by the Arbinger Institute that explains to us how we as people can get stuck in a place or problem known as being “Inside the Box”. We can be stuck “Inside the Box” whether it is in our personal lives toward family members and friends or whether it is at work toward our Boss and other co-workers. Through a cleverly concocted story the author explains how we are either “Inside the Box” or “Outside the Box” and how to stay out of the box once we enter it. The story starts out telling us of a man named Ted who is impressed with a company called Zagrum and he would love to work for them and after multiple interviews and weeks of waiting he finally hears back and finds out that he gets the job. One of Teds first major meetings is with his soon to be boss Bud who asks him to meet him for a meeting that is seemingly so secret that nobody talks to him about it or gives any hints to what it is even about. Everyone seems to know what is going on except Ted. With much anticipation and waiting Ted is led to Buds office and waits nervously for his arrival. When Bud finally gets there he then informs Ted that “He has a problem” and while Ted wonders what that is Bud will soon enthusiastically explain the meaning of his problem and go into more specifics and detail that I’m sure Ted would care for or even expect. As Bud and Ted talk Bud is asking all sorts of seemingly strange and at times...
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...The article chose to do is titled “Even on Religious Campuses, students fight for gay identity.” This article was written by Erick Eckholm in the New York Times. This article is about how the amount of gays and lesbians are coming out of the closet at a Christian school. However, at the same time they have to battle to be accepted by Christian schools, which say that everyone should be accepted. This is becoming a big issue in many schools. There are a lot of students that are dealing with this problem, not just in Christian schools, but all over. Christians are known to have the belief that everyone, no matter their status, should be accepted. So this to be issue in the Christian schools, raises a lot of questions to these students and the people who support the Christian faith. The article states, “Decades after the gay rights movement swept the country’s secular schools, more gays and lesbians at Christian colleges are starting to come out of the closet” (Eckholm) from what I have learned about the Christian belief, this sounds like it should not be a problem. However, the article goes on to say, “But in their efforts to assert themselves, whether in campus clubs or more publicly on Facebook, gay students are running up against administrators who defend what they describe as God’s law on sexual morality, and who must also answer to conservative trustees and alumni.” (Eckholm) This means that these Christian schools are not living up to what people thought was the real...
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...Administrative Ethics Paper In today’s society many physicians are not equipped to manage the health care concerns of gay and lesbian patients because of inadequate education received while completing their medical education. In this paper the subject to be examined is the issues related to gay and lesbian health care and examine a study performed by the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown Medical School and Rhode Island hospital evaluating how supplementary education may contribute to an increased level of readiness and concern by physicians when dealing with gay and lesbian patients and their medical, psychological and sexual issues. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association (APA) discontinued the labeling of homosexuality as a mental disorder and in 1975 the APA urged psychologist to work toward removing the stigma attached to homosexuality leading to many changes in therapeutic practices and the mental health community began treating the problems of gay and lesbian patients, rather than treating the gay or lesbian patient as the problem. Sexual orientation is one of the largest problems in society today. One of the ethical concerns in treating this population of people is with the health care providers themselves. When a health care provider is treating gay and lesbian patients, he or she must confront his or her beliefs and values when dealing with the issue of homosexuality. Treating a gay or lesbian patient becomes extremely difficult when he...
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...LGBT Healthcare Disparity Theresa Sellers Southwestern Oklahoma University LGBT Healthcare Disparity INTRODUCTION There is an increasing progress being made in the equal right of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community. Fifteen of the states now recognize at least some of the same rights to same sex couples that are given to heterosexual couples (Krehley, 2009). Despite the progress that has been made, the LGBT population continues to experience worse health outcomes due to poor health insurance coverage, higher rates of stress due to discrimination and cultural incompetency (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health, 2012). Same sex marriage laws and domestic partnership benefits increase the burden of health care costs. A recent study of period in disparities in health insurance coverage of same-sex couples revealed that partnered gay men are less likely (42 percent) as married heterosexual men to get employer-sponsored dependent coverage, and partnered lesbians have an even slimmer chance (28 percent) of getting dependent coverage compared to married heterosexual women. As a result of these much lower rates of employer-provided coverage, partnered lesbians and gay men are more than twice as likely to be uninsured as married heterosexuals. The exclusion of insurance benefits for gay men and women and the failure of domestic partnership benefits to provide equal access to health coverage results into more health spending...
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...Gay Marriage Word Count:752 It’s not a secret that the relations between men and women become different when they start living together. The period of dating is something like a preparatory stage for the creation of the family. Once that happen things become more different between men and women, but is it a difference when gay people get marry? Gay Marriage has always been a very sensitive topic throughout the past decades. People have always had good or bad views about gay marriage. In this essay I will analyze and go in depth about gay marriage. I will be analyzing articles from Andrew Sullivan and William J. Bennett about people who are for gay marriage or who is against it. Gay marriage has gradually become a very significant factor amongst individuals of today’s society. Similarly, this leads to the discussion of gays having the right to marry in society. Ultimately, conflict from the opposing position of ‘against’ gay marriage may arise that gay marriage can complete destroy the concept of marriage and mock the importance of procreation. In reference to this statement; everyone in society has the right to marry regardless of gender, thus it should be socially acceptable. However, this is why it is so significant to discuss both sides of the argument, regardless if a person is ‘for’ or ‘against’ gay marriage in society. In relation to gays, contradiction constantly arises that gay marriage should not be legalized. However, gays don’t necessarily want to get married...
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...rights and gay marriage argue that homosexuals have the right to be protected against discrimination and deserve equal 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...
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...Introduction This thesis explores Social Networking sites as a medium of expression for sexual identity construction; more specifically the research question aimed to explore how gay and lesbian individuals use social networking websites as a means to construct and explore their sexual identities through self presentation on conventional social networking sites (SNS) available and used by everybody versus LGB SNS which are primarily used by Lesbian/Gay and Bisexual individuals and groups. Through the conduction of eight semi- structured interviews with an even number of four males and females and a content analysis of each participant’s social networking profiles, the research explored how sexual identities were presented and played out on these sites by the variation and degree of information that was disclosed by the sample study. Overall the aim was to explore the advantages and disadvantages social networking entails for the gay community through a comparison of both types of SNS, exploring how self presentation and sexual identities are negotiated and managed through the two while determining if these sites were in fact a safe location to play out sexual identities if they are a site of identity restrictions. From research up to this point it has struck me that there is limited research concerned with the disadvantages of social networking and identity experimentation for gays and lesbians. Thus this present study aims to acquire if gay individuals feel they can perform their...
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...Discrimination and Sexual Orientation By Mario Satterthwaite 11/26/2013 Discrimination is the prejudicial and/or distinguishing treatment of an individual based on their actual or perceived membership in a certain group or category, "in a way that is worse than the way people are usually treated. It involves the group's initial reaction or interaction, influencing the individual's actual behavior towards the group or the group leader, restricting members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to another group, leading to the exclusion of the individual or entities based on logical or irrational decision making. Discriminatory traditions, policies, ideas, practices, and laws exist in many countries and institutions in every part of the world, even in ones where discrimination is generally looked down upon. In some places, controversial attempts such as quotas or affirmative action have been used to benefit those believed to be current or past victims of discrimination but have sometimes been called reverse discrimination themselves. Inequality in the workplace is any form of bias or discrimination that takes place in a work environment and is established, promoted, or allowed to persist by the workplace authority. It is common for a workplace to have inequalities based on gender, race, and social class. There is usually a hierarchy that exists in the workplace in which managers, leaders and executives are paid higher wages and have more...
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