If we’re talking about homophobia, we also need to talk about isolation and socioeconomic deprivation.
In many instances, the marginalization and prejudice that sexually diverse individuals face in most nations across the globe are mirrored in the conduct of those who are not members of the minority, and these consequences are not pleasant.
Lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, trans, and gender-diverse people continue to be marginalized and excluded from education, health care, housing, job and profession, and other sectors due to discriminatory regulations and socio-cultural practices. Violence and bigotry thrive in this context of exclusion. Inequality in opportunity and access to resources is also a result of the exclusion. LGBT students face abuse at school, including physical violence, social isolation, humiliation, and death threats, which leads to feelings of insecurity, missed school days, and lower academic success rates. LGBT youth are more likely than others to commit suicide as a result of such abuse in educational settings.
People in the working world who are part of the community are also no exception. LGBT people confront discrimination and abuse in all parts of the country and at all phases of the job cycle, including hiring, advancement, training, remuneration, and termination. As a result, LGBT persons are obliged to hide their sexual orientation and gender identity, which can cause a great deal of worry and productivity loss.
Discrimination can be linked to an individual's socioeconomic status. Evidence suggests that homosexual and bisexual men with greater salaries are less likely to report discrimination than gay and bisexual men with lower incomes. Discrimination attributed to one's socioeconomic status was also linked to greater levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety. According to studies, 42 percent to 68 percent of LGBT people have experienced workplace discrimination. 47 percent of transgender people said they were discriminated against in hiring, firing, and promotion, and more than a quarter said they had lost a job because of prejudice based on their gender identification.
According to a previous study, LGBT persons and same-sex/gender couples are more vulnerable to poverty than heterosexual people and couples. LGBT persons are discriminated against when it comes to housing. Furthermore, because of their exclusion from homes and communities, LGBT individuals make up a disproportionate number of the homeless. They experience prejudice when seeking refuge, as well as increased marginalization, criminalization, and shame as a result of their homelessness.
LGBT people confront additional health challenges, including increased incidences of breast and cervical cancer, HIV infection, and mental health issues like anxiety, despair, self-harm, and suicide. Health services are frequently inadequate, inaccessible, or unpleasant due to barriers such as the criminalization of consenting same-sex sexual behaviors and pathologization. LGBT persons are frequently subjected to discriminatory attitudes from healthcare practitioners, as well as disrespect or violations of medical privacy, which dissuade them from seeking help.
We should not also forget the youth. Many LGBT adolescents are forced to leave their homes and live with friends, acquaintances, or on the streets due to a lack of acceptance and fear of persecution. Many LGBT adolescents may be rejected by their biological families or caretakers, forcing them to leave home as minors. At such a young age, they have experienced this kind of isolation not knowing that there’s worst ahead of them if everyone continues on overlooking what we call homophobia.
Some of us may think it’s just hating on those who are part of the LGBTQ community, but it is way more than that notion. It is more inhumane. More intolerable.
There is inequality in homophobic thinking and behavior. So the next time we think twice about fighting for equal rights for those who are part of the community, maybe we are robbing them of the basic rights of a human being.
And maybe we are the problem.
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Written by: Gabrielle Tan
Layout and Design by: Dan Kurt Buenaventura
Sources:
Badgett, M. V. L. (2012). Testimony on S.811, The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2011. Retrieved from http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/workplace/testimony-s811-061212/
Badgett, M. V. L., Durso, L. E., & Schneebaum, A. (2013). New patterns of poverty in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community. Retrieved from http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGB-Poverty-Update Jun-2013.pdf
Gamarel, K. E., Reisner, S. L., Parsons, J. T., & Golub, S. A. (2012). Association between socioeconomic position discrimination and psychological distress: Findings from a community-based sample of gay and bisexual men in New York City. American Journal of Public Health, 102, 2094-2101. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300668
Gattis, M. N. (2009). Psychosocial problems associated with homelessness in sexual minority youths. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 19, 1066-1094. doi:10.1080/10911350902990478
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