Reforms in the LGBTQ Community

Background and History

LGBTQ discrimination has been an issue in our society for a long time. We as a society seem to be very unaccepting towards them and have been treating them unjustly for quite a while. We keep hearing about acts of injustice on LGBTQ individuals every now and then, but the real question is whether there is something being done about this conflict, or has there been no significant change in this landscape.

Positive Reform

There have been a lot of debates about the society’s acceptance towards a different gender orientation in the different sectors. Different laws have been formed in many states to prevent employers from discriminating against LGBTQ individuals and a sense of accountability has been established for showing bias based on gender orientation. An example of such law is given, “Senate File 153 would prevent an employer from discriminating against an employee on the basis of the employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity…” (Murphy). This shows us how laws have been established to prevent such acts of injustice from happening in the employment sector. Chavan’s research article mentions, “LGBTQ employees can now turn to the EEOC if they suffer discrimination based on either sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.” (Chavan 41). This is an example for proving that LGBTQ individuals have an organization that supports their rights and promises fulfillment of their legitimate plea.
A lot of people also support the idea of LGBTQ community having equivalent rights, and they have their reasons for it. For instance if we look at the statement , “Anti-gay laws also empower mob violence, forced evictions, and social exclusion.” (Mugisha 72), we come to a realization that LGBTQ discrimination is also contributing to other forms of crime. Since it is directly related with hatred, it is one of the root causes of hate crime, which is something both, the society and, the government are trying to prevent.

LGBTQ individuals also demand for segregation in places like jails and confinements because they find themselves vulnerable to sexual victimization by other heterosexual inmates. Looking at the statement made in the research of Radziewicz and Mattis, “…confinement facilities take additional actions to protect them since they are statistically at an increased risk of sexual victimization.” (Radziewicz and Mattis 34), we find out that situations are being monitored and staff are providing a better solution for LGBTQ individuals in jails and confinements.

Efforts are also being made by governments of different countries to make the situation better for LGBTQ individuals. FOr instance Mugisha tells us in his article, “Indeed, the British government is strongly advocating for the decriminalization of LGBT relations in its former colonies”(Mugisha 72). This shows us how the British government is trying to resolve this issue by using its power and alliance with other countries.

Negative Aspects

Today, the world’s law and order has one thing in common; humanity. Without humanitarian aid and support, no nation can survive and is bound to collapse. Humanitarian services are provided regardless of factors such as race, gender, income (e.t.c). So it is clear that LGBTQ individuals are not exempt from receiving it and must receive it when needed. After humanity, we all have our basic rights and we expect them fulfilled by the government. However LGBTQ individuals are having trouble in obtaining some of their basic rights. If we look at the health care sector, we find out that LGBTQ individuals are facing issues in the fulfillment of their healthcare needs. According to Cornelius’ statement, “LGBTQ individuals continue to face many barriers to receiving care, including lack of access to appropriate health services and a lack of sensitive health care professionals, especially nurses.” (Cornelius 176), we can see that LGBTQ people are facing a major conflict in the healthcare sector.

We can see that there is lack of awareness and availability of adequate services. This means that LGBTQ people have to suffer since there are not many people who can provide them medical care. This gets worse when we look at the personal perspective of the medical staff who have the knowledge but not the will. Mentioned in the article, “An early study by Röndahl, Innala, and Carlsson found that 36 percent of staff nurses and 9 percent of nursing students would refuse to provide care for homosexual patients” (Cornelius 176), is the current situation of the received feedback of the medical staff responsible for providing necessary health care. The statement, “This study examined nursing students’ knowledge of LGBTQ health care needs and their willingness to provide care to LGBTQ individuals and comfort in doing so.” (Cornelius 176), confirms that the staff is unwilling to provide medical service to LGBTQ individuals due to their personal beliefs and perspectives.

The LGBTQ discrimination matter is not limited to health care only. The employment sector, as we saw before, has had some positive reforms in preventing discrimination in the employment industry, but if we take a look at some of the counter-claims, it is safe to believe that the reforms made are not sufficient and thus require more emphasis and improvement. Many state jurisdictions do not consider LGBTQ discrimination as a punishable offence. Chavan’s article states, “It is unclear whether the courts will adopt the EEOC’s rationale without legislative action, and in fact, many courts have expressly stated sexual orientation discrimination is not prohibited under Title VII.” (Chavan 41). This creates an atmosphere of confusion in the society because we can not seem to properly identify whether or whether not is LGBTQ discrimination a punishable act.

The Senate File 153 which was supposed to grant discrimination prevention rights to LGBTQ individuals did face opposition. As Murphy states, “The bill faced opposition by a number of people during the committee’s meeting, nearly all of whom cited religious beliefs as rationale for their opposition.”. This shows us that there are groups who oppose LGBTQ employment, mainly because they are religious groups and thus dislike the presence of the LGBTQ community. The Senate File also has some limitations, as stated by Murphy, “The bill does not extend discrimination protections to housing and public accommodation.” (Murphy). This means that LGBTQ individuals can not solely rely on the Senate Bill for provision of security from gender orientation based discrimination in other important sectors.

LGBTQ discrimination isn’t an issue only in the United States, for instance if we look at Mugisha’s statement in his research document “…it does not necessarily mean that LGBTQ people in India are fully free or perceived as equal among their fellow citizens” (Mugisha 72), we come to a realization that LGBTQ discrimination is a vastly widespread issue in other countries as well.

LGBTQ discrimination isn’t only causing unrest in the society, but is also contributing to economic loss. A study of demographic statistics in the State of Arizona serves as a good example for proving this claim. “The social, economic and health effects of stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ people negatively impact the state’s economy by tens of millions of dollars each year.” (Mallory et al), this shows us the negative impact and its intensity on the economy.

Author’s Argument

LGBTQ discrimination is a widespread issue in the modern day society and it has a negative impact on the society. Laws and regulations have been developed to tackle this issue but an analysis of the law shows us that it is inadequate, thus better laws need to be developed to control this issue and maintain stability in the society. This issue needs proper attention otherwise this may spread and increase the amount of unrest in the society.

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