This is a very big day for hundreds, possibly thousands of individuals today. I can't even imagine how difficult this decision must be for some people but I respect the courageous leap they are taking today.
It's unfortunate reality that we live in a society where prejudice still exists. Discrimination, both legal and illegal, is not a rarity. Even the physical safety of the LBGT community can be at risk. This is the reality some of our peers, friends, loved ones, colleagues, and acquaintances are facing today.
- In most states you can still be fired from your job, simply for being LGBT, and have no legal resource because currently no federal non-discrimination law protects LGBT Americans.
- 86% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed at school
- Homelessness of LGBT and questioning youth is a major problem in America. More than 100,000 annually experience short periods of displacement from their homes.
It is important to be cognizant of these facts, not so you can worry, but so you can do something about it! So... how can you support those who have taken this giant leap of trust, freedom, and truth?
- Support local and national businesses with appropriate anti-discrimination policies
- Speaking up when demeaning "humor" is happening
- Find ou if your employer has an equal rights policy - and if not, encourage the organization's leadership to adopt one.
- Learn where political candidates stand on issues that have an impact on the LGBT community
Let's love one another for who we are not what we are
For many people the LGBT community is an unfamiliar territory. Here's a list of terms for your personal information.
LGBT – An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.”
Lesbian – A woman who is emotionally, romantically, sexually and relationally attracted to other women.
Gay – A word describing a man or a woman who is emotionally, romantically, sexually and relationally attracted to members of the same sex.
Bisexual – A person emotionally, romantically, sexually and relationally attracted to both men and women, though not necessarily simultaneously; a bisexual person may not be equally attracted to both sexes, and the degree of attraction may vary as sexual identity develops over time.
Transgender – A term describing a broad range of people who experience and/or express their gender differently from what most people expect. It is an umbrella term that includes people who are transsexual, cross-dressers or otherwise gender non-conforming.
Transsexual - A medical term describing people whose gender and sex do not line up, who can often seek medical treatments to bring their body an gender identity into alignment. Avoid using this term unless an individual self-identifies as transsexual.
Queer – Often used interchangeably with “LGBT.” Be mindful that the term may have negative or derogatory connotations for some people; however, many younger people are comfortable using it.
Gender identity – One’s personal sense of their gender. For transgender people, their birth-assigned sex and their own sense of gender identity do not match.
Genderqueer – A word people use to describe their own non-standard gender identity or expression.
Same-gender loving – A term some prefer to use instead of “lesbian” or “gay” to express attraction to and love of people of the same gender.
Sexual orientation – An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic, sexual and relational attraction to another person; may be a same-sex orientation, opposite- sex orientation or a bisexual orientation.
Coming out – The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates his or her sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others.
Gender expression – External manifestation of one’s gender identity, usually expressed through masculine, feminine or gender-variant behavior, clothing, haircut, voice or body characteristics. Typically, transgender people seek to make their gender expression match their gender identity, rather than their birth-assigned sex.
Homophobia – The fear and hatred of, or discomfort with, people who love and are attracted to members of the same sex.
Internalized homophobia – Self-identification of societal stereotypes by a LGBT person, causing them to dislike and resent their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Living openly – A state in which LGBT people are comfortably out about their sexual orientation or gender identity – where and when it feels appropriate to them.
Outing – Exposing someone’s sexual orientation as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to others, without their permission; in essence “outing” them from the closet. Outing someone can have serious employment/economic/ safety/religious repercussions in some situations.
Sexual preference – What a person likes or prefers to do sexually; a conscious recognition or choice not to be confused with sexual orientation.
Straight supporter – A person who supports and honors the diversity of sexual orientation, acts accordingly to challenge homophobic remarks and behaviors and explores and understands these forms of bias within him- or herself.
Most of my information is from the Human Rights Campaign website
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