African Americans in the United States was considered the norm. Now, Americans look back on this period of time with horror and remorse. While the same degree of intolerance cannot be applied to the treatment of today’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning individuals (LGBTQ), America’s increasingly accepting society has yet to completely embrace this minority.
In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court and state legislators have made sweeping reforms regarding the legislation of gay marriage and other LGBTQ rights. On Tuesday, Illinois became the 15th state to legalize gay marriage. Yet prejudice against LGBTQ individuals is still widespread.
The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, was enacted in September of 1996 and prohibited states from recognizing the marriage of same-sex couples as legitimate, preventing many same-sex couples from being able to collect federal benefits. The third section of the act defined marriage as between one man and one woman, which meant that even if states had legalized gay marriage, the marriage could not be recognized on a national level. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the third section of the act unconstitutional.
“I think that legally, the repealing of these acts was the first step we needed to take, and it was hard because there needs to be a lot of support behind that action,” Gay-Straight Alliance Club Co-President senior Matt Sievers said. “But I think since it’s in action, people will be more accepting of gay people.”
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” policy, passed on Feb. 28, 1994 was designed to prevent the discrimination and harassment of closeted LGBTQ individuals in the armed forces by directing that military personnel should not speak about their sexual orientation. Although the policy’s intentions were meant to be good, it was repealed on Sept. 20, 2011 due to controversy.
“I think that in the last few years the discrimination has gotten a little better, but not to the full extent.” Sievers said.
On July 3, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the California School Success and Opportunity Act into law. This amendment to California’s Education Code gives transgender students the same opportunities as others. They can play on either girls’ or boys’ sports teams and may use either the men’s or women’s restrooms. California is also one of 15 states that has legalized gay marriage.
“Unfortunately, people are still bullied and harassed because of their sexual identity,” Costa guidance counselor David Beck said. “But when we educate people on issues such as these, it increases acceptance among peers.”
Despite progressive legislation on the national and state level, teens are still bullied at the middle and high school levels because of their sexualities. According to suicide.org, LGBTQ youth are “four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers” and that “those who are rejected by their family are up to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.”
“People think that since there hasn’t been a majorly publicized suicide in a while, it’s not happening any more,” Sievers said. “I think it was publicized a lot originally since legislation related to the subject was also being debated, but now the media isn’t focusing on it as much. We talked about a girl who committed suicide after being bullied for being gay during a recent club meeting.”
Non-profit organizations, such as The Trevor Project, which was founded in 1998, focus on preventing suicide among LGBTQ youth through a suicide hotline and other online resources, such as interviews and articles with openly LGBTQ individuals. The goal is to share inspiring stories of “out” individuals with teens.
“More brave people have been ‘coming out’ and making it easier for their contemporaries to do the same,” Beck said. “I think one of the most important changes has been that people realize they have a brother, sister, cousin, parent, friend, boss, coworker or classmate that is LGBTQ.”
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) gives a voice to gay and lesbian individuals in the community by publicly criticizing companies and businesses that discriminate against the LGBTQ community.
With the support of organizations like The Trevor Project and GLAAD, the overall atmosphere in the U.S. is shifting toward greater acceptance for LGBTQ people. However, further work can be done to prevent future discrimination of these individuals.
“I think that a lot of people in this country have really fought for this change, and it’s inspiring to be part of such a well-deserved victory,” junior Ryan Fiene said.
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