Introduction
Society comprises individuals with different life perspectives. It is impossible to live in a society where everyone aligns with a certain kind of thinking. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals represent a recent category of individuals facing discrimination. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals takes different forms: employment, promotion, and personal attacks. All these discriminatory activities affect their social, mental, emotional, and psychological well-being. According to Congressional Digest (1), harassment at work can be defined as “the conduct severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.” Despite the enactment of state and federal anti-discriminatory laws, the LGBTQ+ community has continued to face discrimination in society, aligning with Martin Luther King’s view of unjust laws elaborated in his “Letter from Birmingham jail.”
Causes and Effects of LGBTQ+ Discrimination
As the LGBTQ+ community continues to fight against discrimination in almost every sector, society has remained adamant in its beliefs and perspectives on sexuality. One of the prominent causes of this discrimination is society’s static and unwavering character, whereby they have refused to accept the LGBTQ+ group as a new way of life. Traditionally, every person was expected to be male or female and sexually attracted to the opposite sex. In the early years, boys and girls were expected to portray certain characteristics that were opposite of the other gender. If a girl tried to behave like a boy, for instance, by climbing trees, they would be harassed. Not only were people required to look like males or females, but also to display culturally accepted sexual orientations.
The traditional male-female orientations have made it difficult for transgender individuals to fit into the community. The main problem is that transgender people are genetically distinct from other people and cannot identify with one sex or the other. This makes it hard for them to fit in any group, further leading to isolation and segregation. This type of discrimination breaks moral and religious standards. King believes that “a just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God” (3). Relating Martin Luther King’s statement to LGBTQ+ issues, society has formulated codes that fail to honor God’s law and subscribe to moral behavior. Due to this cause, transgender individuals have had to struggle to meet society’s expectations. Some have had to undergo surgeries to remove some sexual organs and to rectify their body to meet some set standards. The cost, shame, and humiliation are some of the negative effects that continue to torment the LGBTQ+ community.
A second factor that has significantly led to LGBTQ+ discrimination is religious dogma. Religion has so often defined people’s lives to the extent that anyone deviating from traditional religious beliefs is branded a pervert and discriminated against. A good example is the Christian belief that man was created for women and vice versa. For this reason, Christians believe that a curse befalls anyone who chooses to take a different path. No room has been given for transgender births in religious settings.
In such a situation, Martin Luther King Jr would respond with the rule of human personality degradation. He argues that any law that demoralizes, degrades, and distorts human personality is unjust (King 3). In many cases, however, religious people have failed to consider justice for the affected persons. There have been cases where children were killed, mostly in Africa, after the parents realized that their child had male and female parts. This represents extreme inhumanity and a lack of consideration for both moral and religious standards. All around the globe, religion is bound to people in chains that choke all goodness and threaten to exterminate any new developments in gender and sexuality.
The effect of staunch and unfounded religious claims and their impact on the LGBTQ community is evidenced by the growth of a large population of atheists. People have found it difficult to identify with religious groups, which give no room for different sexual orientations. In some parts of the world, LGBTQ churches have been established to serve those who could not fit in contemporary churches. Some have been denied their right to marry since they could not align with the codes set up by various churches. Their only solution has been forming LGBTQ churches, which in most cases, are not considered true churches by individuals in traditional church settings. As a result, LGBTQ individuals have remained segregated and lonely, a factor that has contributed to emotional and mental challenges. If this injustice continues, many people will be subjected to emotional and psychological torture while building a society that does not respect people’s differences.
The third factor contributing to LGBTQ+ discriminatory practices is the lack of clear rules against harassment concerning gender and sexuality. This has perpetuated discriminatory practices making the vice continue in society. Although the business sector has witnessed several anti-discriminatory rules, the change has not resulted in positive perceptions for LGBTQ individuals. The congressional digest outlines that the law “forbids discrimination on the basis of genetic information when it comes to any aspect of employment” (10). Although this rule has been enforced extensively, the U.S. and many other countries uphold the willful employment policy, allowing the employer to decide whether to employ an individual. They are not required to outline the specific reasons for employment, and, in many cases, a person’s sexuality can be a determining factor. In some employment application forms, people are expected to fill in their gender, which can result in zero interviews and consequent unemployment.
Again, the law does not reach an individual’s perusal life as it relates to business activities. Some entrepreneurs have faced harassment in their businesses from clients and competitors. The lack of an established rule against harassment makes it difficult to address some personal cases. In case one seeks legal representation, there are also significant challenges in finding a lawyer agreeing with their sexual perspective. As a result, many LGBTQ individuals have found it challenging to thrive in the business sector. Consequently, many have remained unemployed, poor, and segregated.
Conclusion
In conclusion, society is a complex body comprised of individuals with different life perspectives, including gender and sexuality views. The LGBTQ+ community has continued to experience discrimination in business, religion, and social settings. Strict and traditional cultural beliefs, religious dogma, and lack of clear anti-discriminatory rules are the significant factors accounting for the continued harassment rampant in the LGBTQ+ community. The results of these factors include social segregation, unemployment, and lack of spiritual nourishment. By extension, the harassment has caused many individuals to suffer from mental and psychological turmoil, which has contributed to suicide in some cases. Although society is developing new perspectives on gender and sexuality, equality and justice for LGBTQ+ individuals have remained a dream in the face of global revolutions.
Works Cited
Congressional Digest. “Antidiscrimination in the Workplace: Laws Enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.” Congressional Digest, 2013, congressionaldigest.com/.
King, Martin L. “Letter from Birmingham Jail—1963”. African American Religious History, 2000.