LGBT Community: Conquering Discrimination and Stigma in Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

There have been numerous changes in society over the past decade, including a rise in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexuals (LGB) identity for they have been revealing themselves more openly than before. However, the LGB community, which happens to be a minority, faces several challenges as a result of their identity. The main problem that it faces is discrimination and stigma. All this is openly expressed in the society, ranging from the public places, extending to the workplaces as well as the health care settings. The issue of discrimination and stigma is chronic because it has resulted in matters such as mental health problems as well as other economic problems within workplaces. Most of the LGB workers lack federal protection, and from a national survey, 90 per cent of them have reported mistreatment and harassment; while 47 per cent claimed to be laid off, denied employment or even a promotion because of their sexual identity. In this view, the primary focus of the paper will be to explicitly discuss the discrimination and stigma faced by the LGB community within the workplaces, causes as well as consequences of the issue, and the measures taken by relevant bodies, such as the social workers and the government, towards curbing this toxic issue. This paper is structured to discuss discrimination in the workplace, followed by explaining the causes and consequences of discrimination. Further, the paper will highlight the role of social workers towards addressing this issue and discuss one electric approach employed, meant to address this issue. The paper aims to capture the discrimination issue with accordance with the NASW code of ethics, and lastly, a conclusion shall be made to present incite on the subject.

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Description of the Issue

According to Merriam Webster, discrimination refers to the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex" (Discrimination 2011). Concerning the issue of discrimination, the LGB community population size has been challenging to determine. It is the stigma plus other methodological barriers that have made it hard to decide on the count of the LGB community population. The following statistics are picked from various surveys conducted in several countries, and they are the best estimates:

• In Canada, 1.7% of people aged between 18 and 59 are either gay or lesbian, while 1.3% are bisexual
• In Japan, 8.9% of the people aged between 20 and 59 are LGB
• In the United Kingdom, 2.0% are LGB and,
• In the United States, 4.5% are LGB.

From these statistics, it can be seen how the LGB community bears a significant population in various countries. This means that issues such as discrimination and stigma imposed on the LGB community can affect a state to a greater extent, and therefore this issue needs to be discussed with utmost caution for it is sensitive.

Discrimination in the Workplace

The world we live in nowadays is diversified, and the technology present has initiated globalisation. According to the Bank of America's Merrill Lynch, "we have come a long way since homosexuality was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967, but there is still much to be done until we achieve true lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion in the workplace" (Fullerton, 2013).

Based on a survey conducted by the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), the attitude toward LGB people in workplaces has improved, and this is accounted by 72 per cent of the respondents who participated. Besides, in another survey conducted for 983 LGB employees, two-fifths of the respondents stated that they still faced discrimination in the workplace. The objective of the survey was to study how many self-identified employees felt discriminated and what were the common forms of discrimination in the workplace. Findings of the survey revealed that the typical kinds of discrimination were 43 per cent social exclusion and 42 per cent ridicule (Siliker, 20111).

Causes and Consequences of Discrimination Against LGB Persons

Over the years, the LGB community has been labelled as being immoral and anti-family by the religious community. As a result, people who belong to the LGB community are viewed as evil, and according to the religious people, they believe that associating with the LGB is unacceptable for it is ungodly. Also, the expression of love between people of the same sex was once diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder until 1973, and until today, the issue has brought heated debates. With such, there have been increased cases of discrimination against the LGB community for it is not viewed as usual by many people.

On the other hand, discrimination has affected the LGB community in more ways than one. Stigma and discrimination bear adverse outcomes for the LGB community, and it includes economic instability as well as poor health. Research has revealed that the LGB experience wage gaps, and have been commonly associated with lower earnings as well as a lack of federal protection from discrimination for LGB people. Also, the research has indicated that the LGB are generally poor, with social climate and policy listed as factors determining the poverty among the LGB community.

Also, research has shown that experiences of stigma as well as discrimination to health disparities among the LGB people. Such health disparities include higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, depression, attempted suicide, self-harm, and substance use. The minority stress model, adapted by Meyer (2003) suggests that sexual and gender minorities experience severe stress arising from the ongoing experience of stigma and discrimination. With the accumulation of stress among the LGB people, there is an accompaniment of compromised physical and psychological well-being.

Role of Social Workers in Addressing Discrimination

In an attempt to initiate the eradication of discrimination against the LGB community, social workers have proven to be the backbone of this entire process. The first task of the social workers has been to establish policies as well as create awareness among people/workmates regarding the issue of stigma and discrimination. Social workers have striven to create environments where sexual orientation should be an open part of who you are. By allowing employees to be themselves, they are being allowed to reach their potential hence be more productive, and teams can be more innovative and confident to put forward ideas. Diversity and inclusion have a real positive impact on the success of any organisation. Most social workers have established LGB network groups where workers meet and provide support for one another which consequently helps achieve the company's goals.

Nonetheless, social workers have also fought for the introduction of various policies such as the paternity leave policy which specifically referenced same-sex relationships, and this has shown value and accommodation for LGB employees. Other than that, social workers have made it their work to conduct fund-raising activities within organisations to advocate for LGB diversity in a workplace as well as speaking to the employees on the consequences of stigma and discrimination. Concerning the eclectic approach, social workers have striven to ensure that accommodation of various backgrounds is crucial as it produces a more dynamic and cohesive team; hence beliefs of each worker should be respected and not violated.

NASW Code of Ethics on Discrimination

Social workers are all expected to handle themselves per the professional standards as well as to uphold the code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). It is expected that these social workers strive to be culturally competent, not discriminate, and act to prevent and eliminate discrimination. Social workers are expected to influence social policy, engage in social action, and advocate for disadvantaged groups (NASW, 2008).

In fact social work's public policy statement on LGB identity issues is as follows: "NASW asserts that discrimination and prejudice directed against any individuals on the basis of gender identity or gender expression, whether real or perceived, are damaging to the social, emotional, psychological, physical, and economic well-being of the affected individuals as well as society as a whole, and NASW seeks the elimination of the same both inside and outside the profession, in public and private sectors" (NASW, 2012). The public opinion, by social workers, on LGB discrimination based on NASW code of ethics is to accord same-gender sexual orientation the same respect as that of other-gender orientations. Given this, social workers are expected to promote equal rights as well as social justice for LGB people.

Conclusion

The issue of stigma and discrimination against the LGB people is projected to bear a positive end shortly. In as much stigma and discrimination against LGB persons are still an issue in some countries, there is hope that the involvement of social workers would create maximum awareness, thereby help in solving the problem. Recently, people have embraced the idea of accommodating other people regardless of the beliefs they perceive. Also, with some states in the United States legitimising LGB relationships, more and more people have learned to respect other people's choices.

From the paper, it can be deduced that the LGB persons are not any different from same-sex identities. Therefore, the fight against stigma and discrimination against LGB persons at the workplace and other settings should seize. In most scenarios, the discrimination is based on religious disparities where the religious people find the LGB persons to be immoral and anti-family. Continuity of stigmatising the LGB persons has been noted to bear numerous consequences, including resulting in economic instability and poor health. It has been seen how discriminated LGB persons are put under social stress which leads them to contract mental problems as well as being suicidal or even engaging in substance use. However, the presence of social workers has helped individuals to overcome such discrimination aftermaths and therefore creating a positive trend on the matter. Also, some states, for instance, in the U.S., have legitimised same-sex relationships and have protected the LGB persons too.

All in all, there is dire need to respect and accommodate the LGB persons in society for it is essential to appreciate the cultural beliefs of individuals for it is a diversified world that we live in. Further research can be dedicated to finding ways to let the LGB persons open up and establish effective ways to help them face the challenges it comes along with, such as the issue of discrimination and stigma. This includes ensuring full protection of the LGB persons all over the world through creating mass awareness.

References

Discrimination. 2011. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discrimination

Fullerton, M. (2013). Diversity and inclusion - LGBT inclusion means business. Strategic HR Review, 12(3), 121-125. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14754391311324462

Fullerton, M. (2013). Diversity and inclusion - LGBT inclusion means business. Strategic HR Review, 12(3), 121-125. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14754391311324462

Mays, V. M., & Cochran, S. D. (2001). Mental health correlates of perceived discrimination among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States. American journal of public health, 91(11), 1869-1876. Retrieved from https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.91.11.1869

Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulleti...