Essay Example on LGBT Rights: Progress Amidst Controversy

The issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) has proven controversial. The discourse, arguments and counterarguments about the status of LGBT community is guided the fact that the issue touches on the fundamental beliefs and precepts of societies. In fact, conservative societies have subjectively perceived the clamor for recognition of LGBT people as not only egregious but also an attempt to overwrite social norms. Nonetheless, a lot of progress has been made in the recent decades in espousing the ideals of LGBT movement and to demystify some of the misconceptions round the issue. Religious organizations and other social organizations have expressed absolute rejection of the LGBT community while others are slowly embracing it. The primary force behind understanding and treatment of the LGBT community is the social construction of sexuality. Recent campaigns by LGBT community to boycott and other wise protest companies and organizations who have negative policies on LGBT issues provide a basis on which to explore the challenges that this group has to overcome.

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The recent campaigns against anti-LGBT polices that is perpetrated by organizations are intended to deconstruct traditional societal order which largely reflect a limited perception of sex, gender and sexuality. As expressed by the leader of Salvation army in his response to claims of discrimination against the organization, the needs of the LGBT have been treated as subservient to those of the heterosexuals. Therefore the campaigns and activism against Salvation army is pitched on the fact that some leaders who are actors of the organization blatantly oppose homosexual identity which then implies that they condone such discriminatory trends. Ideally, individuals acting on behalf of a pro-marginalized entity should not seem to express views that undermine the stand of the organization that they present. Such inconsistences between individual pronouncements and claimed stand of the organizations on the issue of LGBT necessitate activism. The campaigns expand the narrow conception which attaches sexual orientation to one's sex. They rally financiers and stakeholders in confronting the dominant idea that heterosexuality is the ideal which has become the order of sexual interactions. From a sociological and cultural perspective, people have for a long time become accustomed to only two sexual and gender orientation to the extent that any other identities in between remained suppressed. Understandably, cultures develop over a long period of reinforced interaction with a phenomenon. This means that the traditional understanding that an individual is either male or female has thrived while systematically excluding the LGBT. The "all straight" mentality which is a culmination of the conservative sexual identity has been mainstreamed into most social systems including religion, family and community that it becomes difficult to nurture a mindset change. Nonetheless, increased awareness creation initiatives, activism and publicity, the society is beginning to appreciate the existence of different gender identities thus getting involved in safeguarding their unique interests.

Traditional cultural systems construct affection, love and sexual activity to be processes that involve only a man and woman. Imperatively, any other social arrangements other than this is considered abnormal. Effectively, it becomes easier for those who identify with LGBT community to be denied equal rights. For instance, incidences of denied healthcare, housing and group membership have been reported for LGBT. Even organizations whose primary mandate are to provide for the rights of the marginalized such as the Salvation Army is reported to systematically exhibit anti-LGBT tendencies in their activities. Despite the history of LGBT discrimination, recent progress indicate that the community is asserting itself and boldly coming out to clamour for not only their recognition as complete members of the society but also demanding the right to equal treatment just like the straights.

Pro-LGBT activism targets to change the operational arrangements of institutions which continue the old idea of "all straights." The salvation Army has been a key target due to accusations that it considers LGBT arrangements abnormal. For instance, the organization was formed to reach out to the marginalized members of the society yet it cannot account for its engagements with the LGBT. The leader of Salvation Army reckoned that LGBT people are uniquely predisposed to homelessness and various forms of discrimination. On the other hand, he conceded that the organization cannot with certainty indicate that there are LGBT people among the population that they help which indicates a systematic neglect on this equally important part of the society. Ideally, heterosexual-dominated social order masks pro-LGBT ideologies thus making it difficult to provide deliberate interventions that meet the specific challenges that this community is likely to face. The admission that the salvation army helps various people including those they presume to be LGBT is a clear indication that such sexual orientation is so conceived as being too sensitive for even the members to be singled out (Del Para. 5). The fact that an organization that is ordinarily supposed to protect the interest of minority lacks identities of the LGBT members means that their differentiated sexuality is not considered as a course of marginalization, especially in a heterosexual dominated system.

Faith and religious beliefs that promote only heterosexuality typically constrains efforts to identify as well as address the challenges that the LGBT face. The church as an institution prescribes what is good and bad hence any attempts to associate with something that is not consistent with such prescription amounts to breach of faith. The New York Times interview of a man who claimed to have been denied shelter by Salvation army since he had a male spouse indicates the heterosexual engendering of sexuality (Del Para. 17). According to the Christian religious practices, any sexual relationship between individuals who are of the same sex is homosexuality and is sinful. Such relationships are considered not only devilish but also untenable in the Christian life which then exposes people with such orientation to blatant denial of spiritual experience and belonging. Ideally, the church should be the last line of defence for a spiritual and social burdens yet LGBT is treated as inconsistent wit family as well as religious values. The church inculcates a unilateral culture which emphasizes on heterosexual family values and conformity to social norms that exclude LGBT. Therefore, most LGBT hide their identities so that they belong to the mainstream system. Campaigns such as the Queer Liberation March is intended to embolden members so that they express their need for equal treatment without any fear of intimidation (Ennis Para 2).

Demographically, the heterosexuals form a large part of the population worldwide which then encourages the popular acceptance of heterosexuality as the ideal sexual orientation. This means that the LGBT does not only have to deal with the discrimination using from the society but also from family members. Due to the fear of getting adverse reactions and lack of acceptance from the family members, LGBT individuals hide their sexual orientation. Even within liberal societies, the feeling of being a minority group makes the LGBT to have a feeling that the heterosexuals are likely to have negative views on their sexual orientation. As a result, they not only become stigmatised but also develop a sense of exclusion. Coupled with various misconceptions such as the ideation that homosexuality promotes spread of sexually transmitted infections, the LGBT become reclusive.

The LGBT have to contend with the heterosexual and religious belief that marriages should culminate into parenthood and that childbearing is both a generational continuity and fulfilment of God's commandments. With this perspective of procreation role of marriage and sexual activity, homosexuals generally feel worthless and without a sense of future since they cannot get descendants. In typically every society, there is an entrenched traditional filial culture which emphasizes on children as being a source of help to the parents when they eventually grow old. The LGBT have to live with the reality that this is not achievable to them. Such social order that places premium on parenthood creates discontent among parents whose children turn out to be homosexuals thus causing their rejection.

Despite the fact that society universally acknowledges some individuals are more disadvantaged others, the commitment towards recognizing LGBT as a form of social marginalization is slow. Individuals and corporations tend to wait for external pressure so that they enforce policies that uphold the rights of the LGBT. For instance, the threat by Chick-Fil-A to withdraw funding for Salvation Army prompted the later to explain its commitment to forthrightly address the plight of LGBT within the scope of its operations worldwide. Although progress has been attained in increasing awareness about the LGBT and encouraging them to come out and declare their different sexuality without fear of discrimination, most of them still experience stigmatization . Extreme cases of discrimination are in accessing healthcare and housing.

Works Cited

Del Valle, Gaby. "The Backlash Against The Salvation Army, Explained". Vox, Dec 16, 2019., https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/16/21003560/salvation-army-anti-lgbtq-controversies-donations.

Ennis, Dawn. "Don't Let That Rainbow Logo Fool You: These 9 Corporations Donated Millions To Anti-Gay Politicians". Forbes.Com, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2019/06/24/dont-let-that-rainbow-logo-fool-you-these-corporations-donated-millions-to-anti-gay-politicians/#27593aa714a6.

Lucas, Amelia. "Chick-Fil-A No Longer Donates To Controversial Christian Charities After LGBTQ Protests". CNBC, 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/18/chick-fil-a-drops-donations-to-christian-charities-after-lgbt-protests.html?&qsearchterm=Chick-fil-%20A%20no%20longer%20donates%20to%20controversial.