Eyyy
So this isn't a story or anything it's an essay I needed to write for school on injustice in the world
So my gay ass chose LGBT issues
Anyway I feel like I spill the tea in this so here we go
~~~
The Injustice of the LGBT
As of 2019, only 13% of the 195 countries in the world recognize gay marriage. In 8 countries, people who consensually engage in same-sex sexual acts are immediately sentenced to the death penalty, and the death penalty is a possible punishment in 5 additional countries. Joint adoptions by same-sex couples are legal in only 13% of the world. Only 8% of the world allows transgender individuals to serve in the military. 13% of countries allow gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve. Today, at this very moment, people are passing laws and continuing to make the world a place where LGBT people are not safe. The world has never been a safe place for people in this community, but through specific changes, we can make it a safer place.
There are instances of discrimination towards LGBT people all throughout history. However, when people think of discrimination, they think of the past. They think about slavery and the poor treatment of immigrants. People never think of discrimination like that happening in 2019, in their country, or even their city, but it happens, and it is a lot more common than everyone thinks. As of today, there is a man in Denver, Colorado, that is explicitly targeting trans female-to-male(FTM) individuals. On September 25, the Transgender Center of the Rockies put out a warning against this man, stating "The Transgender Center of the Rockies has been informed by credible sources that there is a cisgender male in the Denver that is targeting trans-masculine adults on social media with the intent of sexually transmitting HIV and Herpes." (Transgender Center of...) This is an example of current acts of discrimination and LGBT targeting.
This man has been through several Instagram accounts, all of which continually get deactivated. His current account is unknown, and people in the Denver area have been advised to be careful and not meet up with anyone. The situation has been reported to the Denver Department of Health; however, there have been no recent updates on the situation. The Department claims to be currently investigating the situation, so people can only hope he will be caught soon.
This is not the only current instance of discrimination happening, however. Laws do not protect members of the LGBT community in the same way other minorities are. The article Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues: Quick Take makes the two statements "There is no federal law protecting employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the United States." and "There is no state-level protection for sexual orientation or gender identity in 29 of the 50 US states. This means employees can be fired for being LGBT" (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual...). Currently, LGBT people are defenseless in the face of discrimination. There is nothing to protect them, and certain mentalities are making it a lot harder for this community to get that protection. Transgender workers are especially vulnerable, and there are plenty of reports of trans individuals who were not hired, were fired, or were denied a promotion due to their gender identity and expression
Currently, President Trump is working to make it easier to let adoption agencies to reject same-sex or transgender couples. This is a very obvious act of discrimination and one of the many ways Trump is "rolling back Obama-era non-discrimination policies across the entire federal government — including health care, housing, and the military" according to Axios's article Scoop: Trump's plan to let adoption agencies reject same-sex parents (Baker, Sam, and Jonathan Swan). This law will also allow doctors to discriminate against trans patients again.
Because of all these things happening, it is obvious to see that discrimination against the LGBT community is still around, and extremely real. There are dangers in simply being yourself in the world we live in. Things may seem hopeless to many people, but changes can be made for the better. It does not always have to be this way; all that needs to happen is a change.
LGBT people need to be protected by the same discrimination laws that apply to everyone else. This would help protect members of this community from workplace discrimination and hate crimes. Along with that, people like Axel Helmig, the man targeting trans-masculine individuals, need to be addressed and treated like what they truly are: a threat. Hate crimes need to be adequately addressed, and pride marches protected, not shut down. LGBT people have the right to be able to have pride in themselves and the history of their community with no fear in their hearts. With these minor changes to the way everyone sees the world, life would become exponentially better, and safer, for LGBT people.
At the end of everything, in our current world, LGBT people are not safe. The people of this community are not protected, but that does not mean that they never will be. If the world can make the necessary changes, and treat the LGBT more like people, then they can be safe. Everyone can be safe, happy, and prideful.
Sources (the links didn't transfer over but if you're interested I'd happily link them)
Baker, Sam, and Jonathan Swan. "Trump's Plan to Let Adoption Agencies Turn Away Same-Sex Parents." Axios, 24 May 2019.
Hutt, Rosamond. "This Is the State of LGBTI Rights around the World in 2018." World Economic Forum.
"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues: Quick Take." Catalyst.
"Transgender Center of the Rockies." Transgender Center of the Rockies.
