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LGBTQ Community Issues in California
Student's Name
Department, Institute of Affiliation
Course Code: Course Name
Due Date
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LGBTQ Community Issues in California
Human rights development and adoption have improved human development and
government around the world. Human rights have influenced people's freedom and unity to
work together, as well as their social and economic standing. LGBTQ rights are well-known
and acknowledged in many nations, governing the freedom of sexual orientation and gender
identities that vary depending on an individual's choices. However, members of the LGBTQ
community continue to experience discrimination and other challenges that must be
eradicated to create a more equal and inclusive society in California.
The LGBT community has several problems in their daily lives and interactions with
others in society, specifically, California. First, there have been numerous hate crimes
against LGBT people. According to statistics by the State government of California, hate
crimes motivated by sexual orientation accounts for 18.9% of the reported hate crimes in the
state in 2022 (U.S. Department of Justice, 2022). The number of these attacks increased from
210 in 2020 to 416 in 2022. Recently, there has been a significant increase in acts of violence
or hate crimes against transgender people, particularly women of color. These group of
people have been murdered and maimed in violent incidents around the world. Transgender
women are the most vulnerable because of the fight against sexism, poverty, racism, and
trans-phobia, which often exposes them to high levels of violence (Flores et al.,
2022). Another challenge faced by individuals in the LGBTQ community is discrimination in
the workplace. In a report by Sears et al. (2021), 8.9% of employed LGBTQ individuals
reported that they were not hire or were fired from a job based on their sexual orientation.
The percentage was five times higher for individuals who were out or openly identified as
LGBTQ individuals compared to those who were not out. This means that, regardless of a
person's performance or abilities at work, they may lose their job if their manager discovers
their orientation and disagrees with it.
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Housing discrimination is another challenge faced by individuals in the LGBTQ
community. When members of the LGBT community are fired from their jobs because of
their identities, it will be difficult to find means to earn and sustain a decent existence. This
problem is exacerbated when LGBTQ individuals are denied housing based on their identity.
LGBT individuals in the united jurisdictions have become victims of housing discrimination
as a result of a lack of rules in various jurisdictions governing unfavorable or unfair treatment
in housing rentals. The education sector also presents a challenge to this community. While
students in the LGBTQ community have access to schools or education, they are at a
significantly high risk of bullying and violence victimization (Hanson et al., 2019). Further,
sexual education does not include the LGBTQ community. Given the negative effects caused
by these struggles, the government and individuals have a responsibility of creating a more
inclusive California.
Although there are existing measures to protect LGBT persons in California, the
state government, organizations, and individuals must improve efforts to combat the issues
that LGBTQ people confront. The fundamental and most critical step in protecting
LGBTQ people and punishing those who discriminate against them is to create and enforce
laws that safeguard their rights. This group of people is frequently discriminated against and
subjected to a variety of violent and unjust situations as a result of their social rejection.
LGBTQs will have better lives in public arenas, such as school, employment, and social
places, if the government develops policies and legislation to defend their rights. Individuals
have a responsibility to respect the preferences of people, regarding their disclosure of sexual
identity and gender history (Bristowe et al., 2018). Furthermore, institutions in the state
should make clear policies and procedures relating to discrimination. Implementing these
measure will create a more inclusive society that provides equal opportunities to all
individuals regardless of their sexual orientation.
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References
Bristowe, K., Hodson, M., Wee, B., Almack, K., Johnson, K., Daveson, B. A., ... & Harding,
R. (2018). Recommendations to reduce inequalities for LGBT people facing advanced
illness: ACCESSCare national qualitative interview study. Palliative medicine, 32(1),
23-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216317705102
Flores, A. R., Stotzer, R. L., Meyer, I. H., & Langton, L. L. (2022). Hate crimes against
LGBT people: National crime victimization survey, 2017-2019. PLoS one, 17(12),
e0279363. https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0279363
Hanson, T., Zhang, G., Cerna, R., Stern, A., & Austin, G. (2019). Understanding the
Experiences of LGBTQ Students in California. WestEd.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED601909.pdf
Sears, B., Mallory, C., Flores, A. R., & Conron, K. J. (2021). LGBT People's Experiences of
Workplace Discimination and Harassment. William Institute UCLA School of Law.
https://www.sjsu.edu/ccll/docs/Workplace-Discrimination-Sep-2021.pdf
U.S. Department of Justice. (2022). CALIFORNIA Hate Crimes Incidents in 2022.
https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-01/california_hate_crimes_incidents_2022.pdf