Today, I will be talking about LGBTQ+ Rights but first, let's talk about what the LGBTQ+ community is and its history.
The LGBTQ+ community is a group of people that are united by their sexual orientation or gender identities. It works as a support group for people who don't fit the stereotypical norm in society today (which is straight and cisgender people). The LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and the plus stands for all other sexual orientations and gender identities that aren't named in the acronym LGBTQ. Roughly 8-10% of the world identifies as an LGBTQ+ member.
Here are some fun facts about the LGBTQ+ that I think are quite interesting:
Although the LGBTQ have been around since the start of time, it wasn't publicly or legally acknowledge until the mid to late 20th century
The different colors in all flags represent something that aligns with that sexuality/gender identity
Illinois was the first U.S. state to decriminalize same-sex acts
Now let's talk about the history behind LGBTQ+ rights and discrimination.
For a long period of time, the LGBTQ+ community has been deemed an abomination to society and has faced unfair discrimination for at least 5 centuries all over the world. People have always looked at LGBTQ+ members as predators and a great harm to society when that's not the case at all. There has especially been an uproar in recent times regarding the trans community, specifically in the U.S., where trans people have been the target of hate crimes from both government officials (e.g. some states have restricted discussions of gender identity in schools, banned non-matching pronouns, and mandated the forced outing of trans students to their parents) and citizens (will be shown in the chart below).
A common misconception about the LGBTQ+ community is that it's a new thing and that it's a choice, which it's neither of those. There is evidence of same-sex relationships and non-binary gender identities existing across ancient civilizations, though it is often followed by centuries of criminalization and social suppression. Though because of these assumptions, members of the LGBTQ+ community get excluded from a lot of things and often get treated as if they're aliens.
Here is how we can put an end to LGBTQ exclusivity and mistreatment.
There are a plethora of ways to end exclusivity and the mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people but to save time, I'll only name a few ways.
Show more respect towards them. You don't have to support their identities but don't treat them as if they're any less than you because at the end of the day, they are humans too.
Stop hate criming them. As I said before, they are still humans and have feelings too so why assault them for just being themselves?
Stop making unjust laws against them. Making it illegal for gay people to marry each other and for trans people to get gender affirming care is absolutely ridiculous and is a human right violation. Not allowing people to be who they are is very unacceptable, especially when they are not bothering you in any way, shape or form.
All in all, everyone should be treated with kindness and respect, even if you don't agree with what one might identify as. Stripping away someone's rights is one of the most dehumanizing things you could ever do to someone and think about it. Would you want someone to treat you with such little respect? Nearly 3,000 LGBTQ+ members get hate crimed per year in the U.S. and those are only the reported incidents. All I'm saying is that people need to treat them better as they get targeted for wanting to be themselves freely.
