The Controversy Of Homosexual Discrimination In Schools

Growing up I was different from all the other boys; for example, during recess in elementary school most boys would elect to go play “Power Rangers”, but I would always choose to play house with the girls. If we had a free day during Physical Education the boys would generally chose to play some sport that requires a ball, and I would choose to go play double Dutch with the girls, pretty much anyone I chose to hang out was a girl. At the time I didn’t think it was weird that I generally enjoyed doing things that were traditionally considered girly, It was just an aspect of who I was, But once I went to middle school I learned that meant people would call me gay. It would later take me over eight years to have the courage the courage to come out of my closet, and admit that I was gay.

Living in a small, conservative town in rural Illinois, I knew there would be many people opposed to my decision to simply exist as I would. However, I knew I couldn’t internalize this. My sexuality was like some sort of horror

As a nine-year-old girl I knew I was not “normal”. I didn’t like boys the way my friends did and I would always push my thoughts about girls away because it was “wrong”. At fourteen I started to come to terms with who I was. The thought of being a lesbian in high school petrified me. I thought I would never be able to openly be myself, I would lose friends and everyone would see me differently. The thought of finding love never crossed my mind because I never knew how I would tell a complete stranger that I was a lesbian. My family was extremely supportive after the initial

Throughout the years, the LGBT community has put forth tremendous effort to gain rights and recognition in the United States. Yet there have been numerous laws that have discriminated and made them feel unequal. LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered. Many people in the community have a hard time accepting who they truly are in terms of sexual orientation or gender identity. Coming out is challenging enough on its own, and laws and regulations that discriminate against those who only wish to live freely can make it hard for them to do so. Living in the time period we do, we have seen many changes in the right direction as far as having equal rights for all, but it has not always been this way. There have been many movements and actions the LGBT community has taken over the years to get to where we are today. There have also been many laws and regulations specifically targeted at same-sex and transgendered individuals, some of which that still apply today.

“I don't know how I'd live with you if you were gay, you'd be gross." This blunt statement caught my attention as I exited a local ice cream parlor the summer prior to entering high school. This remark, while radical, was not abnormal for the old fashioned and rural town I had grown up in. At first, I told myself not to let it get to me and that this mother had every right to believe what she wanted. After all, I didn't want to overthink what could have been the misinterpretation of a crude joke. When I saw the look of pure disgust at the simple thought of being gay on her daughter's face however, I felt weak and without dignity. As a lesbian myself, my esteem seemed to deteriorate like paper thrown into a fire. Nevertheless, I was inspired by this experience to analyze the state of society and to search for justice in situations where it is lacking.

Through paralleling the success of gay rights with the more recent successes secured for marriage equality, one can pin point the steps necessary to create successful political mobilization within a conservative political system. A key point to understand the success of political mobilization is the political logic, or “background set of assumptions about how society works” (Armstrong 2002:14). Political logics drive the transformation of movement organization and social change. Only through the creation of new political logics can mobilization occur. Yet, “New political logics cannot simply be created at will through the strategic framing efforts of activist, but only emerge under specific conditions of heightened cultural creativity” (Armstrong

Dad suggested that I write you instead of talking to you over the phone, so I’m somewhat begrudgingly listening to him. As I’ve learned, there really isn’t a good place to start, so here it goes. I’m gay. There it is, I said it. I am romantically and sexually attracted to men instead of women. Around 13, I thought it was just a phase that I would grow out of, and I didn’t really process it much, but as time went on it just became more and more apparent that I was NOT going to “just grow out of it”. I started hating myself more and more, thinking that if I had more willpower, more faith, if I prayed harder that I could change. I thought I was broken, and my health reflected this. I started throwing up regularly, especially when I was stressed.

I could not agree with you more on the issue of homophobia against same-sex couples. The treatment spans from bullying in schools, random attacks, to verbal and physical abuse against this population. As a result of peoples intolerances against the LGBT community we are starting to schools catering to this population. Harvey Milk High School in East Village, New York City is designed for ( not limited) to LGBTQ high school students. I think in years to come, we will begin to see more schools targeting this community. Although it is an unsettling thought that is has come to this point, I can appreciate the fact that the teenagers have a place where they can learn, enjoy, be themselves and feel safe. It just amazes me the level of hate, discrimination,

My sexual orientation is questionable at this point in my short life. When I was younger, I was in my tomboy phased, where I didn’t like using lip gloss or do hairstyles to look “cute” in elementary or in middle school. I was one of those few girls that I would surrounded myself with the boys, talk about video games, sports, basically anything that wasn’t so feminine. I was raised with two older brothers, so I would play more with their toys than you gay? or Are you a dike?” I wasn’t clear what that meant, I was young and with an innocent mindset. I searched what it meant to be gay. I felt insecure about myself, wasn’t sure how to handle this but to keep saying no. No matter how many times, I have responded "No"to to people, now and then I

The rights of the LGBTQ people have been highlighted in the United States over the past several years. The LGBTQ community is facing discrimination and a twisted portal of their character throughout the media. A more recent example of discrimination is the HB2 law that our governor Pat McCrory signed into effect in April of this year. This law created an issue that did not even exist in what feels like an attack towards the LGBTQ community. Discrimination to this community has become something that we can no longer afford to ignore. We have normalized discrimination against this group of people by allowing it to invaded our homes, schools, and workplace.

After taking the self assessment on sexuality, my score came out as a 38. After analyzing where I got these beliefs from, I came to the conclusion that my family and my friend Kailey were the biggest influences. Growing up my mom was always an open book, not that she would come walk up to you, but she would answer any questions about gender or sexuality if you asked it. I never did but I had overheard her talking to my brother one time and she did talk to me and let me know one time that she was there if I had questions. My aunt is a hairdresser and a social butterfly. While going to beauty school and throughout her jobs at different resorts she has made many friends, quite a few of them gay males. My middle and high school years were spent around her, my family, and her friends. No one ever made it seem as though it was

Many LGBT people are fighting for various things, such as their freedom to be equal, same sex marriage, the right to be accepted in in today’s society, and their safety against those who are against same sex relationships. LGBT are being turned down for jobs and health care. Many of them are being harassed or attacked in public areas and in offices. Even LGBT young adults are being attacked and harassed or skip school because they do not feel safe anywhere they go. LGBTs are being discriminated no matter how old they are or what race they are. They are not allowed to get married in certain states, not receiving health care, turned away by many business companies.

Current social attitudes toward the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) community can be seen as a significant contributor to the equity, or lack thereof, of the sexual education syllabus in schools. The range of topics covered in regard to homosexuality varies greatly between and within Australia and the United States of America (Bell, 2008, 2). This variance in service provisions can be attributed to differing social attitudes, specifically those held by parents, teachers, students and policy-makers. These social attitudes directly impact the equity of a schools sexual education program. Further, while social attitudes shape education provision they are also shaped by education. With statistics showing that the

Growing up everyone is told that they are unique. “Be yourself,” “use your God-given talent,” and other expressions such as these impress the aforementioned narrative into our minds. Thus, when I was around thirteen years old, I thought my sexuality was just a part of me that only I had. I wanted to share this feature about myself; I wanted to take pride in it and show it off. Coming out to a close few friends showed positive and emotional responses. Riding on this high, I was ready to embrace myself in high school. Yet, my naivety took the best of me as I was going to an all male, religious high school. My sexuality has provided me with experiences that have and will continue to shape my life. These struggles, whether they are internal or external, have provided me with invaluable skills.

Moreover, I learned that my sexuality was natural and healthy until the AIDS crisis in the eighties. The crisis around HIV/AIDS generated numerous myths which may or may not have been considered sexual, but the most devastating was the revision of the myth that “God hated fags.” This was proven to mainstream society because God was punishing gay men with AIDS and causing us to suffer for our sin of loving. As one can see, my sexuality at an early age was wrapped up in politics, religious proclamations, and fear. It was only when I assimilated myself in a community of gay people that I truly understood that the myth based rhetoric was wrong and damaging to my well-being.