Sexual Orientation Discrimination

The end of our first unit, we discussed a plethora of issues that society face today. Society is plagued with many diverse people and unjust treatment among different groups, this is where oppression rears its ugly head. Oppression the mistreatment of a specific group due to the fact that they are not considered the “norm” in society. When someone is judge unfairly and not given the same rights as other as we are all born with, this can cause one to feel victimized and create enormous turmoil in our society. Gender plays a significant role in society, several groups experience harsher oppression than others, LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) individuals are highly discriminated against due to mistreatment and stereotyping from society.
Judgement against anyone is morally wrong, and I feel
that in a perfect society we would accept everyone for their unique differences. If we were all the same how boring would our existence be? The LGBT community faces many different types of discrimination on a daily basis, and have to fight for the simple things we all take for granted. The struggle to marry has been challenged for many years and even though it is accepted by many states a bias still exists today. Fighting for equal marriage rights has been a long drawn out process just to have the equal rights of every heterosexual couple. The Supreme Court ruled on June 26, 2015 that same sex couples can marry nationwide, a victory for society and equality. ( ).
Adoption discrimination is prevalent the LGBT community, some people say that it takes a mother and a father to parent properly. If an unwanted child that is being put up for adoption for unknown reason can have a better life and feel love and nourished, then why would this be a problem? While many same sex families that adopt children in all the legal states, excluding Mississippi and Utah statistic show “than 16,000 same-sex couples are raising an estimated 22,000 adopted children in the United States and Researchers estimate the total number of children nationwide living with at least one gay parent ranges from 6 to 14 million” ( ).
Many people feel the need to keep their sexual orientation and gender identity private in the work force to protect their ability to get hired, keep employment and fair pay.
The LGBT population in the workplace is growing and the percentage shows from research in the journal article Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace: A Systematic Review of Literature “the ratio of GLBT employees to the entire workforce is between 3% and 12% in the US. Between 5% and 7% of the total UK population is GLB (Colgan, Creegan, McKearney, & Wright, 2007, p.591). With the LGBT population on the rise they face higher challenges and problems surrounding their employment and detrimental treatment. Kurina Baksh state in the article Workplace Discrimination: The LGBT Workforce “The LGBT workforce continues to face widespread discrimination in the workplace with 21 percent of LGBT employees reporting that they have been discriminated against in hiring, promotions and pay” (Baksh, 2016). Most straight employees face problems with job performance, the LGBT community have to overcome judgment in their work place that has nothing to do with their ability to perform the job
required.
Stereotyping exists

Violence is present in our society,

The LGBT youths are at a higher risk of taking their lives, whether it stems from bullying, no acceptance within their family, school or community. Research from The Suicide Prevention Center stated in a journal article titled Suicide Risk and Prevention for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth “A variety of studies indicate that LGB youth are nearly one and a half to three times more likely to have reported suicidal ideation than non-LGB youth. Research from several sources also revealed that LGB youth are nearly one and a half to seven times more likely than non-LGB youth to have reported attempting suicide” (Malley, Posner, Potter, ). In my previous work I found an article that specifically showed transgender attempted suicide is a shocking portrayal what some people go through to just be themselves. The article shows how alarming the suicidal rate is for a transgender person, and is informative and horrifying rate “41% try to kill themselves at some point in their lives, compared with 4.6% of the general public” (Ungar, 2014).
When you think about oppression many different thought come to mind, the unfair and cruel treatment of any human being is unacceptable and is ruining our society. The LGBT community experiencing oppression due to the main fact that their relationships, with others and their fight for equality should not only be their fight, but a fight for equality in our society. I’m not sure if we can ever overcome these issues of discrimination or we are doomed for this oppression forever. I know we have made great strides throughout the years and my hopes and dreams for a more enriched society with acceptance of all.