LGBT RIGHTS
LGBT population is an at risk community especially with the incoming administration. Get to know the issues and how you can get involved.
LGBT RIGHTS
LGBT population is an at risk community especially with the incoming administration. Get to know the issues and how you can get involved.
THE ISSUES
Violence
Lesbian, gay and transgender people, especially those of color, experience violence at disproportionately high rates compared to straight cisgender people. According to the FBI, bias against sexual orientation and gender identity accounted for more than 21 percent of hate crimes reported in 2013, with sexuality the second most common single-bias category following race. Moreover, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that while transgender survivors and victims represented only 19 percent of anti-LGBT violence reported to the organization, transgender women of color accounted for 50 percent of homicide victims.
Employment Discrimination
A 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that 21 percent of the LGBT adults surveyed said their employer treated them unfairly because of their sexuality or gender identity. Another report, authored the National Black Justice Coalition and other groups, found that nearly 50 percent of black LGBT people have experienced employment discrimination. Rates are significantly higher for transgender workers — some 90 percent of trans people have reported experiencing on-the-job harassment or mistreatment, while 47 percent said they were fired, not hired or denied a promotion because of their gender identity, according to a national survey.
Poverty
Research shows that anti-LGBT discrimination has harmful effects on LGBT workers’ economic wellbeing, leading to high rates of unemployment, homelessness, poor health and food insecurity. Pew found that LGBT workers are more likely to earn less annually compared to the general U.S. population. And the transgender discrimination survey found that trans respondents are nearly four times more likely to earn below $10,000 a year than the average American.
Healthcare
Social and systematic discrimination, as well as inadequate health care access, contribute to health disparities for the LGBT community. According the Fenway Institute, LGBT people are more likely than straight people to report unmet health needs and have difficulty accessing care and obtaining insurance, which leads to higher rates of disease, chronic illness, drug use, mental illness and obesity among the population.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION
FEDERAL LEGISLATION
The Good
Comprehensive and Inclusive Immigration Reform
Undocumented lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people live at the intersection of the LGBTQ equality and immigrant rights movements, making them some of the most vulnerable individuals in our country. According to a study by the Williams Institute, there are close to 1 million LGBTQ adult immigrants, of whom about two-thirds are documented and one-third are undocumented. Comprehensive and inclusive immigration reform is a critical issue for the LGBTQ community.
Customer Non-Discrimination Act
The Customer Non-Discrimination Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in public accommodations. Additionally, it would update the public spaces and services covered in current law to include retail stores, services such as banks and legal services, healthcare providers, and transportation services.
Bullying and harassment of students who are, or are perceived to be, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) is widespread. While current federal law provides important support to promote school safety, it does not comprehensively and expressly focus on issues of bullying or harassment, and in no way addresses the challenges faced by LGBTQ youth in our nation’s schools.
The Bad
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act would undermine the government’s ability to ensure child welfare organizations make decisions based on the best interest of children.
The First Amendment Defense Act is tantamount to state sanctioned discrimination and would allow non-profit organizations and businesses contracting with the federal government to circumvent critical federal protections designed to protect same-sex couples and their families from harmful discrimination.
Marriage Constitutional Amendments
The Marriage Protection Amendment and the Restoration of Marriage Amendment (S.J. Res. 12) would amend the U.S. Constitution to roll back marriage equality.
State Legislation
HB2 (Bathroom Bill) would eliminate existing municipal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people and living wage ordinances and prevents such protections from being passed by cities in the future.
SOLUTIONS
SOLUTIONS
CREATE COMMUNITY
Straight people feel more positively about LGBTQ people when the two groups interact. Promote positive interaction between your straight and LGBTQ peers.
ENSURE SAFE SPACES
The more supportive and LGBT-aware staff present in school, the more safe LGBT students feel. Encourage teachers to make their classrooms LGBT-inclusive.
Gender neutral bathrooms allow trans & gender nonconforming people to feel safer when they’ve gotta go. Post new signs over gendered restrooms at your local school, library or community center to demand inclusive options for trans people.
CHALLENGE TRADITION
For many people, neither side of the gender binary fully represents how they see themselves. Support the Transgender community by challenging your peers to not use masculine/feminine pronouns for a day.
LGBT RESOURCES
LGBT NEWS
LGBT EVENTS
LGBT GROUPS
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