LGBT discrimination is a worldwide epidemic. Although it mostly goes unnoticed, LGBT people endure discrimination in the form of verbal and sometimes physical abuse. According to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for the rights of all humans, LGBT youth are twice as likely than their peers to be physically assaulted. This statistic is focused on LGBT youth because of the major concentration of abuse in schools. Also, people in the LGBT community may be denied the right to adopt a child. Instances in which gay people are denied services that other people are offered create a second class of citizens. Discrimination against the LGBT community is more widespread than most would think. According to BrandonGaille.com, a blog on marketing statistics, 4% of LGBT employees say that theyve been physically or verbally abused by their co-workers. Additionally, a study showed that 47% of transgender employees said that they were either not hired or fired from a job because of their gender identity. As someone in the LGBT community, I have experienced discrimination because of my sexuality. The word faggot is a popular choice of most people that try to make me and many others feel as though we are wrong for being ourselves. According to the New York Times, there is no question of whether the LGBT community faces discrimination, for the record shows that it clearly does. The constant reminder that you arent normal can really get to people and cause emotional distress. In his book LGBT Health, Smalley claims that mental and emotional disorders are some of the biggest issues facing those in the LGBT community. Anxiety and depression are some of the most common plagues of those that identify as such.
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o help end this discrimination faced by the LGBT community, there must be an act to make it unlawful to do so. This law is called the Equality Act. The Equality Act is an extension of the Civil Rights Act of 964, which makes it unlawful to discriminate against individuals based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The act would include the protection of sexual orientation and gender identity. This act has been passed through the House of Representatives, but it still has to pass through the Republican majority Senate and the President. The Equality Act would protect against denial of entry into any establishment, which has been a problem ailing those in the LGBT community. Another provision of this act is that it protects people from unfair treatment as seen in the workplace. The Equality Act also protects against harassment and violence, which has become an everyday occurrence for those that identify as LBGT. Dissenters of the passage of this act argue that it will become oppressive to those who arent of the LGBT community. According to The Heritage Foundation, businesses would be forced to serve people against their religious beliefs. This argument is invalid. Any private business has the power to decline access to anyone for any reason. But, if a business is open to the public and is in any way benefitted by federal funding, it is a public service and by law is not allowed to decline entry to anyone unless they are a threat to others. For example, a private school can reject whoever they want because they are funded by students. On the other hand, a public school has to accept anyone because it is funded by the government. The rejection of LGBT people in public is a violation of civil law.