In last week's article, I touched on discrimination against the LGBT community, mainly focusing on Amendment One and the discrimination within our nation. LGBT discrimination IS a huge issue nationally, but what many people don't realize is that this discrimination is also a problem WITHIN the LGBT community. This is NOT OKAY on so many levels.
Discrimination within the LGBT community takes many different forms. A few examples are bisexual discrimination, trans-phobia/discrimination, and gay/lesbian stereotype discrimination.
Bisexuals tend to have a bad reputation among people who identify as completely homosexual.
I've heard people say numerous times that bisexual people are "selfish" or "greedy" for choosing to sleep with members of both sexes. As someone who formerly identified as bisexual, I quickly became aware when trying to date that many of the women I was interested in were less than pleased with the fact that I was not 100% homosexual, because they simply couldn't relate to the way I felt or to my actions. Needless to say, after much time, consideration, and contemplation, I no longer identify as a bisexual woman.
"Despite different forms of discrimination, over the past couple of years, much has been done to improve legal rights for these individuals."
Trans-discrimination/trans-phobia is the showcase of negative feelings or attitudes towards transsexual or transgender individuals who choose to openly express their inner gender identity. From my observations in life and out on the field, I've come to notice that a significant amount of trans-phobia stems from a lack of general knowledge, education and information on the subject. Many transgender individuals experience the brunt of homophobia as well, which in many cases doesn't even apply to the situation. Because of this, transgender people experience a great deal of fear-based violence in society as well. Trans-phobia is a problem in several areas of everyday life such as in hospitals, in prisons, in public restrooms and in the work place. Many of these places don't take gender identity into consideration in everyday policy and practices, in turn, forcing trans people to participate in uncomfortable and potentially degrading situations.
Examples are:
In hospitals: transgender individuals don't always have access to necessary hormone therapy.
In prisons: transgender individuals can be forced to sleep and bathe in the presence of biological men, even when they identify as male-to-female transsexual.
In the workplace: some transsexuals lose their jobs as they begin their physical transitions, and some are directly discriminated against in the application process.
In my opinion, people who identify as transgender are some of the most brave people in the world because they stand up for who they are and what feels right to them.
Despite different forms of discrimination, over the past couple of years, much has been done to improve legal rights for these individuals.
In Los Angeles, California, certain prisons are now taking an active stand against discrimination and some even take it a step further to accommodate them by offering both men's and women's clothing and in some cases even offering hormone therapy. Many hospitals are incorporating anti discrimination policies into their treatment plans, and many businesses now take a proactive approach stating that they are "safe spaces" for people who identify within the LGBT community.
Gay/lesbian discrimination within our own community has definitely been the strangest to me, and it also hits closest to home. Some LGBT identifying individuals find themselves in a position where they are "not gay enough for the gays", but are far too queer to be considered straight or bisexual. More and more of my friends who would say they are mostly homosexual have chosen not to identify as strictly gay or lesbian either.
Although some people might not understand the reasoning behind it, I understand and support their decision.
As someone who identifies as mostly homosexual myself, I understand that there is a lot of judgment and pressure associated with the title. Homosexuals are stereotypically expected to never sleep with a member of the opposite sex (I mean, that IS what HOMO-sexuality is all about, right?).
While this might be the case for some individuals, many queers have a hard time embracing their sexuality early in life and may have had relationships with members of the opposite sex in the past.
These people should not have to feel ashamed or fear that they will be judged because they took longer to accept themselves as queer.
They should feel loved and accepted by a community of like-minded people, because there are plenty of queer folks out in the world today who do not like to label themselves as bisexual or as a lesbian/gay.
I personally identify as queer. In my experiences, I'm mostly attracted to women, but growing up I did have a few boyfriends (as well as girlfriends) along the way. I have been judged for the things I've done and the situations I've been involved in, but I've come to a point where I can accept them and see them as learning experiences in moments of passion. Who I choose to love and be with is no one's business but mine. I support and encourage everyone in the LGBT/ Queer community to explore and embrace their sexuality. Hopefully, someday the judgment within our own community can become an issue of the past along with the fight for equality as a whole. If we want to receive equal rights, we need to first be equal among ourselves.
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