LGBTQ+ Struggles
Sarah Hoover
Sarah Hoover
No one can deny the discrimination against the LGBTQ community in school and in society. With a community not fully acceptant to people of different sexualities, people who are open about themselves and come out have different outcomes depending on the type of people around them. McCarthy Lewis says for her, “Coming out was pretty easy but frustrating, I have family and friends that support me through everything. I don't really focus on the cons about coming out because it's who I am and how I want to present myself to the world.” For Sophie, another sophomore, she says, “Coming out to me was a huge deal. I had grown up for years around people who made fun of others who were not heterosexual. When I did eventually come out though, most of my peers accepted it. My parents were a whole other story. When I told them, they basically acted as if it wasn’t real. I was young when I realized I liked girls, but the idea that my parents came off as not caring about a big part of my life was heartbreaking.”
Our society oppresses this group of people with anything, from threatening them to just making their lives harder. Sophie comments, “People are oppressed every day because of their sexuality. It always goes back to the basis of strangers thinking they can control another's life because they don’t like the way they're living it. I have lesbian friends who have been yelled at by adults in public because they're not wearing the right clothes and such.” Reese Connelly also says, “I've noticed gay girls are told they are only gay for attention and a lot of straight guys haven't accepted the fact that there are some gay guys in our school.” Mccarthy adds onto the prejudice things she has witnessed in the community. She says, “Some things that I think are discriminative against gays in my community include not letting trans people in the military,
non-gender fluid bathrooms, sexualizing people, and judgmental remarks.”
When asked why she thinks society oppresses LGBTQ people Reese says, “I think the LGBTQ community is oppressed because it is different and people use the excuse that being gay is a sin, so they can't support anyone who is gay.” McCarthy answers the same question saying, “I think that people hold prejudice opinions against the LGBTQ community because it's not the norm men and supposed to be with females and that's the way of life. They have to make a family in order to grow a society. Little do people know you can have a family and be gay at the same time. There's such things as surrogates and sperm/egg donors. The fact that people grew up in a society where being gay is wrong is very biased.”
Acceptance in the community can be achieved although it may take time. Reese says that in an effort to work towards more acceptance, “We can explain to people that we are all different and just because you have different opinions or beliefs than someone, doesn’t mean you have to bring them down.” Sophie adds a way that we can have younger generations not go through the same issues is to, “Take away the stigma. Educate the youth. Show that it is okay to be gay. There should be no problem seeing two guys or two girls together. Stop making it okay for people to discriminate against anyone in the community. They are hate crimes and need to be treated like so. Don't try to say a child is too young to be feeling like they aren't heterosexual. It makes them feel as if they aren't normal and no kid should have to go through that. The next generations should be able to be proud of everyone, no matter where they come from, or who they are.”
As a whole community, issues are taking place that are tearing us apart and isolating those who are seen as different. It happens in schools and everywhere else in the world. But change can happen, and it can start with this generation.
Our society oppresses this group of people with anything, from threatening them to just making their lives harder. Sophie comments, “People are oppressed every day because of their sexuality. It always goes back to the basis of strangers thinking they can control another's life because they don’t like the way they're living it. I have lesbian friends who have been yelled at by adults in public because they're not wearing the right clothes and such.” Reese Connelly also says, “I've noticed gay girls are told they are only gay for attention and a lot of straight guys haven't accepted the fact that there are some gay guys in our school.” Mccarthy adds onto the prejudice things she has witnessed in the community. She says, “Some things that I think are discriminative against gays in my community include not letting trans people in the military,
non-gender fluid bathrooms, sexualizing people, and judgmental remarks.”
When asked why she thinks society oppresses LGBTQ people Reese says, “I think the LGBTQ community is oppressed because it is different and people use the excuse that being gay is a sin, so they can't support anyone who is gay.” McCarthy answers the same question saying, “I think that people hold prejudice opinions against the LGBTQ community because it's not the norm men and supposed to be with females and that's the way of life. They have to make a family in order to grow a society. Little do people know you can have a family and be gay at the same time. There's such things as surrogates and sperm/egg donors. The fact that people grew up in a society where being gay is wrong is very biased.”
Acceptance in the community can be achieved although it may take time. Reese says that in an effort to work towards more acceptance, “We can explain to people that we are all different and just because you have different opinions or beliefs than someone, doesn’t mean you have to bring them down.” Sophie adds a way that we can have younger generations not go through the same issues is to, “Take away the stigma. Educate the youth. Show that it is okay to be gay. There should be no problem seeing two guys or two girls together. Stop making it okay for people to discriminate against anyone in the community. They are hate crimes and need to be treated like so. Don't try to say a child is too young to be feeling like they aren't heterosexual. It makes them feel as if they aren't normal and no kid should have to go through that. The next generations should be able to be proud of everyone, no matter where they come from, or who they are.”
As a whole community, issues are taking place that are tearing us apart and isolating those who are seen as different. It happens in schools and everywhere else in the world. But change can happen, and it can start with this generation.