Sexual Stigma Essay

This proves that there is a higher risk of destructive behavior and victimization among the LGBT community. But why are these destructive behaviors present? Dr. Michael Benibgui, PhD, notes in his dissertation that, “if early experiences regarding the LGB community are negative, they may arouse internalized homophobia and self-devaluation” (18). As an effect of these attitudes toward the LGBT community, these “self-devaluating” feelings are exposed.

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.

Because of this many of them arrive to work in fear of rejection or being ‘outed’ causing them to lose their job. As discovered by expert Cosby Burns “Discrimination and unequal treatment on the job inflicts significant economic harm on gay and transgender public-sector employees and their families.” (http://www.americanprogress.org) Many open homosexuals will be turned down for employment just because of their sexual orientation despite qualifications, even though it is completely irrelevant to their skills and no one’s business but their own.

Based on the discussion from the Williams Institute, it is evident that there continues to be a prevalence of discrimination among groups that are not viewed as culturally acceptable in our county. In this article, it is reported that people are more likely to experience hate crimes based on their sexual orientations. For instance, 44% of people reported experience physical violence (without a weapon) because of their sexual orientation, and 80% had been verbally harassed (Herek, 2009). Although the Hates Crimes Statistic Law became effective in 1990, the stigma surrounding the LGBTQ community continues to affect their everyday life. It may defer a person by identified their sexual orientation for the fear of being discriminating in the workplace,

Victimization of LGBT community members is elevating as time passes. Researchers attempt to determine the prevalence of the violence committed against members of the LGBT community (Rothman, Exner, & Baughman, 2011). Many people that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender that are victims of hate crimes have participated in studies where they insist that the crimes committed against them are based on their sexuality; not class, color, gender, or any other factor. In a qualitative study, Meyer (2009) conducted open-ended interviews with people who were victims of hate crimes. The participants were recruited at LGBT advocacy organizations. Those who presumed that their hate crime was due to multiple systems of oppression such as class,

Society’s view of the LGBTQ population has changed dramatically over time. Until 1973, the American Psychological Association had considered homosexuality to be a mental disorder (Silvestre, Beatty, & Friedman, 2013). Today, many LGBTQ couples are getting married and raising children. Although these individuals are receiving more legal benefits, they still must struggle with the stigma that society has associated with these gender and sexual identities (Hequembourg & Dearing, 2013). This stigma has contributed to a variety of issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer or questioning individuals. Although little research has been done on LGBTQ families and substance abuse, studies have shown that there are high rates of substance abuse for individuals who are of sexual minorities (McCabe, West, Hughes, & Boyd, 2013; Senreich, 2009; Silvestre, Beatty, & Friedman, 2013). In addition to high rates of substance abuse for LGBTQ individuals, many problems exist for those in families with LGBTQ members. Youth may have a

According to the Center for American Progress, “studies show that anywhere from 15% to 43% of gay people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment at the workplace. Moreover, a staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job.” (Burns & Krehely, 2011) This doesn’t just affect the individual, it affects the worker’s productivity and confidence on the job, in some cases it may affect the pay which ultimately throws off the individual’s income for stability within their responsibilities, this can affect the business in a negative way. The list can go on and on of the consequences brought on by employment discrimination. According to USA Today’s Jennifer Calfas, “it is legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. While there is some federal recourse through civil rights and equal employment claims, there's no national anti-discrimination law to protect LGBT workers from state whims. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and nation of origin, but does not extend those protections to LGBT people.” (Calfas, 2015) Luckily, USA Today’s Jennifer Calfas also states that “Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have laws prohibiting employers from firing employees due to just their sexual orientation or gender

Frequently, the lives of LGBTQ+ people are worsened by stigma, and when one has HIV and/or is considered a minority one will encounter greater public prejudice, discrimination, loss of self-worth, and negative implications for one’s health and well-being. The Orlando Immunology Center (OIC) served as a venue for this presentation sponsored by Dialogo and Two Spirit Health Centers, and was facilitated by Robert Katz who examined stigma in its various guises and how it impacted people’s mental health and physical illness. To date, the literature on stigma and health outcomes has focused primarily on harmful health-related behaviors that are associated with perceived discrimination. This presentation suggested that when people experience discrimination,

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 researchers believed oppressive experiences against gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals might be able to predict symptoms of PTSD. Some studies linked experiences of negative psychosocial outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation to PTSD symptoms. One study found that sexual minorities are actually at a higher risk than their heterosexual counterparts to experience traumatic events in their life. The findings supported past research which brought up sexual origination-based hate crime victimization and heterosexist discrimination as unique predictors of PTSD symptoms (Bandermann & Szymanski, 2014). Individuals belonging to the LGBTQ community are facing their own kind of trauma because of the discrimination that they have to face every day. They are assaulted, called vulgar names, and killed because they love someone of the same-sex. Just because their trauma does not fit a certain criteria does not mean they are not suffering. Many of these people are facing traumatic experiences by the hand of someone they love such as a family member or friend. Many individuals are dealing with traumatic issues because they are oppressed, but do not fit the criteria for PTSD. These articles could sway individuals to include oppression into the categories of traumatic event individuals with PTSD

A third reason why LGBTQ+ discrimination is a problem is because it can cause them to possibly lose their job or be rejected a job. According to the Human Rights Campaign, it is currently legal to discriminate on the job in 29 states, 58% of the country, and it is also legal to fire someone due to sexuality or gender expression in 33 states. It was reported that 1 out of 5 LGBTQ+ experience discrimination at work. According to Catalyst, nearly 1 and 10 LGBTQ+ employees left a job because the environment is unwelcoming. 70% percent of non-LGBTQ+ employees believe it is “unprofessional” to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace. More than half of LGBTQ+ employees hide their sexual orientation in the workplace due to the

In the U.S, the transgender unemployment rate is three times bigger than the general populations unemployment rate(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues, Catalyst.org). Even while trying to find a job the people part of the LGBT community that are looking for a job, are still feeling discriminated due to their sexual orientation. In the European Union(EU), 13% of LGBT people felt discrimination while job hunting due to their sexual orientation(lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace issues, catalyst.org). Even if LGBT people do finally get a job, they still have so much fear of being fired that they closet themselves. Over 27% of the transgender population were not hired, were fired or were nor promoted because of their gender identity in 2015( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues, Catalyst.org). While working, people part of the LGBT community can hear jokes about their community, whether it be directed toward them specifically or not. Nearly 62% of LGBT employees hear LGBT jokes at

According to Jennifer C. Pizer, Legal Director and Amold D. Kassoy Senior Scholar of Law, more than 8 million people who are gay and lesbians are in the workforce and have experiences discriminations (719). Pizer informs us that in 2008 about 37% of gay and lesbians experience harassments at work like rude comments and 12% had lost their jobs because of their sexual preference (721). In 2011 47% of gay and lesbians were discriminated in job hiring’s, job promotions, and job retentions (Pizer 721). Pizer conceives an over view that about 8-17% of homosexuals have been fired from employment, 10-28% were denied in promotion or given a negative comments, 7-41% them where physical abused or had been harassed, and 10-19% of them had unfair benefits (725). Pizer also tells us that gay and lesbian, “Employees face as a result of the denial of equal benefits to employees with a same-sex spouse or partner” (760). About 60% of gay and lesbians report not having anything health insurance as well as equal treatment as a heterosexual couple (Pizer 765). In a few words, Title VII bans all sex discrimination but yet Title VII is getting overlooked (Pizer 716). So because of this discrimination happens, and homosexuals are more likely to have health issues and to be treated with no respect in the workforce. Now that we have taken a look on

The authors of the study recruited LGBTQ students who were part of Project Q2, which was a longitudinal study of LGBTQ students between the ages 16-20 and given a survey to complete. Students were recruited from the Chicago area who self-identified as LGBTQ or were attracted to the same sex. The students were part of a longitudinal study and were asked to follow up on six occasions in a span of 3.5 years. They completed “self-report measures on health, mental health, victimization, and health behaviors”(p. 282). Participants were asked to identify themselves as male, female or transgender (male to female or female to male). On a

An individual’s identity is shaped by many aspects of their life, but the ones where they either experienced hardship or were oppressed are the most prominent in defining their identity. Individuals who identify as LGBTQ often have to deal with issues of inequality in their everyday lives, because the dominant group, straight individuals, create an environment where others feel oppressed. In many situations the dominant group feels as though anyone not like them needs to change, and because they believe sexual orientation is a choice, they should just be straight. The importance of maintaining individual freedom, even when laws that oppress people and discrimination is very prevalent, ultimately allows people to feel free. Many aspects of