Being gay in High School can affect you in many ways it could be in a good, bad or you can even simply make it into your own little joke for four years. Was coming out “the closet” when everybody least expected a good idea?No, Am I mad at myself for doing it? Nope, Getting all types of comments from friends, family, and complete strangers. “You don’t look gay.” Am I supposed to have it written on my forehead? “You’re so feminine” “You should go back to liking guys.” No one can tell me who to like or how to feel? Hearing those type of things from a person you care about or even from a total stranger can make you feel many different types of emotions it could be positive or negative. I told my friends before my family that I was gay and that was hard enough, freshman year, I had my first official girlfriend. I remember being nervous to walk in but when I did it was a breath of a relief because I’ve been so scared to even talk about, All my friends faces their mouths open with surprise my other classmates whispering everyone came up to me asking the same question “ when did this happen” or “wtf”. No one seemed to believe me to prove it i kissed my girlfriend everyone in the cafeteria gasped but all i did was smile. It got easier as the days passed she wasn’t perfect with the smoking situation… I received a phone call from my aunt she said i had to break up with her because she found out she smoked and if I didn’t she would tell my parents. Months passed i turned 15 and I
Sadly, until this problem is fixed, LGBTQ+ people will still discriminate against because of people standing up for Religious Freedom. 64% of LGBTQ+ kids feel unsafe in their school because of their sexual orientation, and 44% feel unsafe because of their gender identity. The LGBTQ+ community fair for them to be discriminated against, but this country was founded on Religious Freedom, so it isn’t fair for people of faith to go against their beliefs. Until this problem is solved, LGBTQ+ people, kids, and adults, will be bullied and discriminated against, and people of faith will feel their rights aren’t protected.
Next month will be very exciting for the LGBTQ community, when several of the openly LGBTQ communities, athletes will head to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to compete, which will be the most LGBTQ’s to participate in the Winter Olympics than ever before. Nonetheless, there were also seven openly LGBTQ athletes who competed in the Sochi games in 2014, which were all female athletes in the LGBTQ community
As a child they must deal with certain factors that they cannot change no matter how hard they try. For example eye color, hair color, height, weight, and so on and so forth. Then based on these factors it is determined whether a child is liked in school by others. However there is another factor, that determines if a child is liked, and that is, whether a student is gay . Students nowadays judge one another solely based on belief if someone is gay . Children use the “gay” word out of context everyday and the effects of their harmful slander can be detrimental.
For the next two years I struggled with the concept that I might actually be gay. By junior I was certain that I was in fact all the things that I was called in middle school, but because of the negative memories I decided it was a secret that I was better of keeping to myself. That was until the spring semester of my senior year in high school when I decided that I was going to live my life the way I wanted to. I would no longer allow people to scare me into being anything other then what I wanted to be I would live my life openly and honestly. On the evening of February 16, 2014 I came out as Gay on literally every social media platform I owned. The following morning, to my surprise, my classmates for the most part greeted me with open arms. As I walked from class to class I received a staggering amount of compliments and support. I was quite frankly overwhelmed when I did get a negative comment and a dozen people rushed to my
Being gay in America is difficult. Being gay in America is even more difficult when you’re not quite gay. Being a closeted not-quite gay woman in America, surrounded by Indian immigrants is pretty difficult, too. It’s a bit like staring in a James Bond film, if all of the characters suddenly developed Bollywood accents, and marginally less homicide. Also, I may be exaggerating, because I don’t attract nearly as many Bond Girls, no matter how much I’d like to. Even understanding what “not-quite gay” means for me was and is a struggle. I suppose a common saying is true: if you can’t find the gay cousin in your family, then you are the gay cousin. And it’s true; in my jumbled mess of aunts, uncles, and third-step cousins once removed, there hasn’t been a single person to come out. Or, if there has, we certainly never talk about them.
United States of America. The United States of America. When you hear that, what do you think of? Home perhaps? A land of great opportunity? Freedom? Equality? Perhaps for some of you, this is the case. For many, it is not. For many, freedom and equality are nothing more than empty promises. Thankfully, many brave individuals are now speaking up and demanding these promises be fulfilled. They are signing petitions, organizing rallies, and protesting in the streets, all just to be heard. I hear you, and I stand with you.
Approximately, 8.8 million United States citizens are considered to be apart of the LGBT community. With these numbers on the rise, homicide rates regarding LGBT people in the last five-seven years appear to be climbing and staying that way. Because of these statistics that are increasing every day, it is crucial that protection laws be put in place for the benefit of LGBT people.
“The gay rights movement is not a party. It is not a lifestyle… It is not about sin or salvation. The gay rights movement is an integral part of the American promise of freedom” (Urvashi Vaid). Many people were not supportive of the minority of people coming out to the world and becoming a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The actions of the many who did not accept the idea of being gay, lesbian or transgender, would interfere with their confidence and freedom of being who they want to be. The idea of gay rights was not socially accepted since it had differed from the social norm of a male and female sexually attracted to one another. However, there would be a ‘safe haven’ in most cities for the LGBTQ+ community to thrive and reveal themselves towards the people that truly accepted them for who they are. Although there were very few ‘safe havens’ around, these places would be tormented by the police and many of the people in them would become oppressed since they wanted to be in a place of acceptance. From June 28, 1969 through July 1, 1969, the gay community faced massive oppression from police raids in Greenwich Village, NYC at Stonewall Inn, which caused them to start a riot which ignited a major conflict for the sake of their own safety and freedom. This riot allowed them to show their oppressors that they are human as well and are able to fight back for themselves and for the future generations ahead of them. Due to the lack of a formal compromise between the gay community and the police, many people questioned as well as oppressed them because of certain religious aspects and social norms, but the conflict resulted in the development of the Gay Liberation Front and allowing the LGBTQ+ community to freely express themselves.
All families face challenges in their everyday life. For some, the challenges are easier to handle while for others, surmounting those challenges can be more difficult. Over the years, the LGBT community in the US has faced many hurdles. Whether it’s the legalization of same-sex marriage to adoption rights to alimony, child support and child custody in case of divorce, legislation specific to gay and lesbian couples still has a long way to go.
The LGBT community in the United States has always had massive difficulty fitting into our society. For many years they put up with constant mistreatment and other forms of abuse coming from the those who do not agree with their lifestyle. They have for long advocated for the acceptance of their existence and punishment for crimes committed against them. One of the hardest battles the community has had to face was the right to marry in a society that still holds the values of a traditional relationship which is between a male and female. The struggle was quite harsh but it all paid off by 2015 when the supreme court granted gay couples the right to marry. This historical decision did not go without outcry and criticisms. Most of the dissatisfaction came from those who hold very religious values and beliefs that claims homosexuality is a sin. Religion has always been a part of the American way of life since the nation's founding and with that homosexuality has been demonized throughout our society. Now that gay couple possess the legal rights to have a marriage license, religious companies and/or stores are now denying service to LGBT couples as they believe it sinful on their behalf to even take part. Many people gay or straight who fought for gay rights believe these is pure discrimination and that stores should not have the right to deny service for any customer for any reason. However, this belief is unconstitutional and goes
I remember on my first day of preschool, my mom told me, “Abby, don’t tell your teachers about your family.” Sitting in my car seat, at the age of 4, I was starting to become overwhelmed with confusion. This confusion bubbled up inside me for years. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask my moms, but I did not have the courage or the strength to ask. Then I grew up. My perspective on the world changed, and I realized that my parents were seen as a calamity to society. That was my perspective though. I wondered what my mom’s was. How did she grow up in a world that only saw her as a flaw in the system? So I asked. Beth Shaffer’s perspective on her past, the present, and the future is an astonishing story.
The LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer/questioning) community has many individuals who are in primary, secondary and postsecondary institutions. Bullying that takes place at these locations often occur with people that identify or are perceived to be affiliated with the LGBTQ community. This issue is not only important to me, but it is extremely important to those professionals in the educational fields. Bullying has come to a head in the past few years and has really shown that it is a problem. Educational professionals should take this information and try to find ways in which we can help to decrease the amount of bullying in general, not only with LGBTQ individuals.
LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people are discriminated against, terrorized, and protested against. They have barely any laws guarding their rights. All Americans are supposed to have all the rights needed for their pursuit of happiness, yet LGBTQ+ citizens do not. This needs to stop. And the U.S., while still quite far away, is slowly on its way to equity for all of its citizens. But good LGBT Americans are mostly treated unfairly.
It has long been debated where our sexual orientation comes from, particularly whether its biological or social forces driving these behaviors. In regards to homosexuality and bisexuals, some have argued that it may be a choice that these individuals are making.(Levay 2012: 41)Some have even said it is a mental disorder that one can recover from, but there is plenty of data that says otherwise.(Levay 2012: 41)(Levay 2012: 65) I believe diverse sexual orientations develop in humans due to sex hormones during fetal life, gene influences, and other effects such as birth order influences. I’ve come to this conclusion based on the narrative provided via Dr. Simon LeVay’s book Gay Straight, and the Reason Why, and the research that has been compiled showing strong influences from a multitude or reasons. I will also be looking at a research paper by Francesca Iemmola and Andrea Camperio Ciani, who looked into genetic factors influencing sexual orientation in men. It is clear there are gender differences between men and women, and this is probably one of the strongest indicators that hormones can affect the outcome of variations in gender traits.
The LGBT community has always been a topic that many do not recognize go through serious issues such as suicide. Being a middle schooler or high schooler can be very stressful especially when you feel you’re an outcast because of your sexual orientation. That is why implementing programs or even activities can provide individuals with the information they need to be more aware of what type of people are around them. This could also help LGBT students feel more comfortable interacting.