Essay on Homosexual Rights and Equality

Since the beginning of their existence and in today’s society, the community of LGBT workers are not being treated fairly or getting their fair share that they deserve in the workplace. They are victims to high rates of workplace discrimination. Instead of being judged as workers and what they bring to their jobs and how they work, they are being judged by their sexual preferences and appearance. Being a gay or transgender worker causes them to be mistreated, not judged for the actual workers they are, and most importantly, halts a majority of them in better career and job opportunities. Although under federal law it is illegal to fire someone who is either gay or transgender, they are still either being denied employment or being terminated from their jobs because of their gender category or sexual orientation.

The history of the gay rights movement goes as far back as the late 19th century. More accurately, the quest by gays to search out others like themselves and foster a feeling of identity has been around since then. It is an innovative movement that seeks to change existing norms and gain acceptance within our culture. By 1915, one gay person said that the gay world was a "community, distinctly organized" (Milestones 1991), but kept mostly out of view because of social hostility. According to the Milestones article, after World War II, around 1940, many cities saw their first gay bars open as many homosexuals began to start a networking system. However, their newfound visibility only backfired on them, as

“The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights

The greatest issue facing America today is the ongoing battle for social justice among minority groups such as: African-Americans, the LGBT+ community, and Native Americans who've suffered harsh treatment in the present and past. Since the early colonization of America, these minority groups have continuously fought for their rights because of the oppression that society placed on them. They’ve sought justice through non-violent/violent protests, movements, and laws to spark change among an unfair society that has endlessly persecuted them. However, this injustice doesn’t happen entirely from racism or prejudice but from the majority “refusing to take a stand against the problem causing it to grow further” (Thoreau 326).

Recognized figures reveal their sexual orientation in public and in films and on television homosexual characters are depicted (Anderssen & Ytteroy, 2002). Despite these advances in the American mainstream, lesbians, gays and bisexuals continue to face discrimination in all areas of life. No federal law prevents a person from being dismissed or denied a job based on their sexual orientation. In different dimensions, the battle continues to gain equality by exercising their human rights. However, there are powerful beings in society that want to reverse the fighting and return to the past. Though progress has been made regarding a degree of acceptance for the LGBT population, they will continue to fight against discrimination and the persecution of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender individuals. There remains a battle that lies ahead.

LGBT people continue to face real discrimination and there is no federal law preventing them fro being fired or denied work based on their sexual orientation. The military is notorious for their public discrimination of gays and lesbians They can lose their children for being gay or lesbian, and are even denied the right to marry in some states. In 1992 Colorado executed Amendment 2, which opposed the current state laws and blocked future laws protecting lesbians, gay men and bisexuals from discrimination. The U. S. Supreme Court case 1996 Romer v. Evans decision. We must conclude that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to further a proper legislative end but to make them unequal to everyone else. Which Colorado could not do. A state cannot deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws. (Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority Opinion in Romer v, Evans I)

Living in the 21t century, diversity is seen all aspects of life, majorly in the workplace. A rising issue in America has been making headlines; discrimination in the workplace due to sexual orientation. Sexual orientation refers to “a person’s sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted” (Google). There has been a disturbing and substantial growing rate in the discrimination and harassment of gay and transgender individuals in the workplace as well as throughout the hiring process with limited attention being brought upon the issue. Individuals are being denied the same benefits, opportunities, and job titles due to their sexual orientation.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is legislation proposed in the United States Congress from the mid 1990’s and finally became law in 2013. This law prohibits discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by employers with at least 15 employees. Those which favored the law intend it to address cases where gay, lesbian, and bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees have been discriminated against by their employers because of their sexual orientation of gender identity (Raghavan,2013). Employees were not able to find protection under the law and not seen as a suspect class by the federal courts and appropriate as the United States Constitution guarantees equal protection and due process to all (Wiki, 2013) Those who favored the law firmly believe that people should be judged by their work and not by unrelated factors. Not everyone say the law as necessary and voted against it (Raghavan, 2013).

The ENDA of 2009 prohibits businesses and employers from using a person’s sexual orientation (gay, lesbian, bisexual) and gender identity (transgender) in most areas of employment, including: hiring, promotions, wages, and termination. The legislation also extends protections to heterosexuals who may associate with GLBT staff, those who speak out against alleged LGBT discrimination, and heterosexuals who are be perceived as being GLBT. The language of the bill, for the most part, mirrors that of existing civil rights laws that address discrimination.

The issues surrounding sexuality and gender nonconforming individuals in the United States have played an increasingly large role in modern politics since the mid-20th century. These issues, commonly referred to LGBT rights, directly affect the lives of a vast number of American citizens and, as such, any legislation addressing these issues is public policy. The growing demand for equality among the LGBT community has resulted in a number of Supreme Court cases and legislation addressing commonly debated issues such as marriage and employment discrimination. Though these particular issues have received attention from Congress, there are still other problems within the LGBT communities that must be

The New world was of great wonders discovered by the Vikings, inhabited by the natives ,and stolen by a bitter elite, that punches the great world with an iron fist; the explorer, Columbus starting the brick of colonization, an open path for Europeans to take the land and call it their own to grasp a new life, a dream that is to be savored and fulfilled as growth and prosperity continues to emerges out of the westernmost winds, and south of the Mediterranean sea, dominating the land, free to do whatever they please.

The debate of whether to pass the bills and policies that promote equal treatment of lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, and the queer (LGBTQ) community has been trending across nations. People refer to fundamental human rights like the freedom of speech and association, liberty, and equal treatment in court as civil rights, because they are fundamental rights that each and every citizen should not be denied on the basis of their sex, race, or religious belief. Though it has been proven that homosexuality – the sexual desire for those of the same sex as oneself – has existed since humans have begun documenting human history, the framers of the Constitution did not include the unconstitutionality of discrimination against citizens on the basis of sexual preference, thus, making this discrimination entirely legal. It is, therefore, important to consider the varying views on this issue with an aim of constructing a genuine proposition to the policy makers.

Some state than ENDA would hurt economic growth, and small business owners will be hurt by additional government rules. However, ENDA would actually promote economic growth. As Crosby Burns states in his article on the LGBT policy journal at the Harvard Kennedy school, ENDA would increase business efficiency, “allowing them [LGBT employees] to focus on completing their core workplace responsibilities rather than censoring themselves out of fear of unfairness and discrimination.” Making businesses liable for discriminatory practices within their hiring process will help make LGBT employees more effective, and will help the business as a whole. ENDA would help corporations avoid lawsuits, as it would provide “clarity and uniformity into the legal system and ultimately help firms avoid costly discrimination-related lawsuits” (Burns).

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community faces many inequalities and discrimination on a daily basis. The main purpose of this paper is to put myself and others in the shoes of the LGBTQ community, to be able to see how the rest of the world views them, and the discrimination they face. What makes this community different than the rest of us? Why must this community face bullying just because they want to live a life different from ours? These are just a few things I will be focusing on in this paper along with the history and background information about the LGBTQ community and the problems that they faced back in history. Another interest I will share is how history has changed itself; that is if it did change at all. I will also be focusing on the data and statistics of this community; I will share the positives and the negatives. Last but not least, I will then share some of the policies intact that will help the future of the LGBTQ community.

Looking back throughout history at the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, it isn’t hard to see that we have made the majority of our strides in the past 10 years. As a society we have decided the time is now to put an end to the lack of rights for people of different sexual orientations. Accepting LGBT individuals and providing them the same rights and protections as all other Americans makes us a more united, respectable Country. Everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities regardless of what their sexual orientation may be.