Sexual Orientation Struggles By Jennifer Brown

You would think that today’s society would not discriminate against someone based on their race, color, or national origin. With the changes in lifestyle, people continue to discriminate against those, but also someone’s sexual orientation. Even with laws and regulations, it continues in all parts of the country. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, more specifically Title VI, stated that you could not discriminate against anyone in programs and activities receiving federal

Throughout human history, various minority groups find themselves the targets of prejudice, discrimination, and even violent acts of hatred. One of the most notable ways in which the struggles of these groups are documented and exemplified is through literature. Sexual orientation, and more specifically homosexuality, is a prominent point of controversy within the world of fiction writing, as well as through the nonfictional history of various societies. Sarah Waters’ Affinity is a prime example of how history and fiction can intertwine. Waters wrote this novel in the 1990’s, but set it in London during the Victorian Era. In order to create a realistic narrative, Waters had to ensure that it was historically accurate, even down to the societal impact of Margaret’s sexual preferences. Though it was not overtly discussed, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries marked the era in which “…homosexuality in its modern form truly began to emerge”(Willett 351). From the start of Affinity, Margaret’s emotional and psychological flaws are exposed through her diary. She also reveals details about her relationship with Helen, which ultimately foreshadows the outcome of her future romantic relationships. Many of Margaret’s hardships come from the pressures that her society puts on her and, in turn, she develops unhealthy relationships with those around her. Her isolation plays a huge factor in her dependence on Selina, another woman who appears to be in the same position as Margaret

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.

In the last few years the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community have made major strides in a positive direction toward equal rights within the legal system, including the recent Supreme Court decision ruling that same-sex marriages will be recognized in all 50 states. Sixteen of those states and the District of Columbia have full anti-discrimination laws that include protecting gender identity and expression. This leaves roughly 70% of the country’s population living in states without comprehensive anti-discrimination laws (Cobos & Jones, 2009). The work has just begun, as the LGBT population continue to face discrimination regarding education, employment, housing, and healthcare.

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).

Even before the late 1994 many lawmakers and other individuals have had the concerns of discrimination in jobs, country wide. For example, the harassment against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees continues to be pervasive, even as more companies have adopted non-discrimination policies (William Institute, University of California Los Angeles School of Law, 2012). However, the year of 1994 a law was presented at all United States Congress with the exception of the 109th. The law prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This law that ensures equal security was known as the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA). By the year of 2007, the legislation for the LGBT gained the security

Even though the Supreme Court’s ruling has brought marriage equality to all 50 states, 31 states still lack clear, fully-inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens. This means that despite the ruling, LGBT Americans can get legally married but still be at risk of being denied services for who they are or risk being fired simply for getting married and wearing their wedding ring to the office the next day. Discrimination is a real and persistent problem for too many LGBT Americans. Nearly

Workplace discrimination still occurs towards members of the LGBTQ community which negatively impacts all aspects of their life. Being discriminated against at the workplace effects economic stability not to mention how it can bring many psychological issues. Congress has been working on passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act require an employer judge a homosexual based on how well their skill are performed at the job, qualifications, and the quality of their work. We can see how being discriminated against can cause job instability and high turnover, which promotes a greater unemployment and poverty rates. Gays also tend to experience a

The subject of expanding LGBT civil rights is complicated and controversial in today’s society. Larkin (2016) stated that laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex do not protect those who identify as LGBT. Title VII does not address sexual orientation as a protected right. Plaintiffs who have experienced discrimination must argue their discrimination was due to gender identify and social norms (Larkin, 2016). Since there is no straightforward enforcement of LGBT nondiscrimination laws this group receives the highest amount of discrimination. However, social acceptances of the LGBT lifestyles are rapidly progressing. With this newly found social acceptance and the increase in population growth, workplace discrimination laws will need adjusted so that this population becomes a protected

According to (Krehely, Center for American process, 2009), LGBT people have made rapid progress securing equal right. Fifteen states now give same-sex couples at least the same rights given to heterosexual married couples. Regardless of the progress, however, members of the LGBT population continue to experience not as good as there heterosexual counterparts. (Krehely, Center for American process, 2009) Issues like low rates of health insurance coverage, (Krehely, Center for American process, 2009) and stress due to systematic harassment and discrimination, with the lack of competency in the health care system. Negativity from the health care workers toward LGBT people is due to the cumulative and intersecting impact, their reduced access to the social stigma that exists against LGBT people. Transgenders reports verbally and physically the get harassed and removed from direct contact with the heterosexual population.

LGBT people face disproportionate rates of physical, psychological, and structural violence. Violence has an economic impact when physical injuries are costly and restrict someone’s ability to work, when grief and trauma make it difficult to concentrate on work, and when fear of future assaults may make it difficult for people to travel to and from work.

LGBT+ people face discrimination in the workplace and that should stop. There are twenty-seven states with no protection against discrimination; no state laws protecting LGBT+ people from discrimination because of their sexuality or gender for jobs, housing and in public. And there are five other states with only some protections

This report will summarize the obstacles and achievements throughout the LGBTQ rights’ path utilizing evidence from several, distinct scholarly sources.

These conflicts take place in schools, college campuses, families, churches, and in politics, as it has been seen; what about adults’ lives in  the workforce? In the United States, only 21 states currently have protections in place for LGBT employees to prevent discrimination (“Past LGBT Nondiscrimination and Anti-LGBT Bills Across the Country.”). “The LGBTQ community earns as little as $0.68 for every dollar that a heterosexual employee earns, even when qualifications are equal or even greater for the LGBT worker and 21% LGBTQ employees have reported having been discriminated against in hiring, promotions and

The very first thing worth mentioning is that there is still, after all these years, no federal law in place protecting LGBT employees from discrimination. It is my belief that a law is needed to be put in place to protect at the least the economic livelihood