Cleverly1

Corinne Cleverly
Eng. 2010
Clint Buffington
October 27, 2014
Discrimination Against Homosexuality
Gays and Lesbians are majorly discriminated against in today's society. There are people
getting fired from jobs and having trouble renting houses, only because of their sexual
orientation. When buying or renting a home, same-sex couples cannot put both partners' names on a
homeowner's insurance policy. They pay more taxes than heterosexual couples, and there is no law

against it. (Human Rights Campaign)

The third-highest category of hate crimes reported to the FBI are committed against gays,
lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. (Civil Rights) There are people being killed! If
that's not discrimination, I don't know what is. There is a problem with discrimination towards
gays and lesbians and there needs to be a change.
"Liberty and justice for all" is what we say in the Pledge of Allegiance. Every American
deserves to have equal opportunity, respect, love and acceptance. So, if we believe this, why do
we punish people for being different and not being afraid to express themselves? We all say this
is "the land of the free and the brave", however, just talking about equality and freedom will not
make it a reality.
I have a friend named Junior who is a Tongan male, 20 years old, who came out of the
closet and admitted he is gay a year and a half ago. He knew since he was in eighth grade that he
was gay, but didn't want anybody to know because of the way he would be treated. He had never
had problems with people treating him crude throughout his life until people found out he was

Cleverly2

gay. Then suddenly he started being treated differently. Others started picking fights with him,
and begun to act out with violence towards him. Him and his boyfriend were walking down the
street one night holding hands and a car drove passed with people yelling awful things at them.
This is when the violence happened. Nothing like this ever happened to him before and he was
very hurt. Junior hadn't done a single thing to the people in the car, yet they still felt the need to
make him feel unaccepted and unwanted.
He was also worried about his boss finding out and wanting to fire him. At work he
would not talk to anyone about himself or his boyfriend. He thought that someone might have an
issue and try to get him in trouble. These are not things that people should have to worry about.
The problem is that gays and lesbians are being treated with discrimination and they
should be able to feel accepted just like the rest of us. Here is a story I read from the Human
Rights Campaign: "Linda, an attorney, relocated to Virginia when her partner accepted a faculty
position at a university there. In August 2000, Linda was invited for a second interview at a
Virginia law firm. During the interview, Linda was asked why she was moving to Virginia, and
she replied that her spouse had taken a position at a local university. The law firm asked Linda to
come back for a final interview, which would include a dinner with all the partners and their
spouses "to make sure we all got along." At that point, Linda told one of the partners at the law
firm that her spouse was a woman. Soon after, Linda was told that the firm would not hire a
lesbian and she should not bother coming to the third interview." (Human Rights Campaign)
This short story shows a little bit about how differently work places treat lesbians and
how it had nothing to do with anything but her sexual orientation. Discrimination like this leads
to depression, and in some cases suicide. Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4 times more likely
to attempt suicide than straight youth. Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth that come from high

Cleverly3

rejection families are 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide than youth that come from no or
low level rejection families (The Trevor Project). Rejection is the same thing as discrimination
and you can see how it affects somebody's actions and self-esteem.
Homosexual people have more health problems than heterosexual people because of
discrimination. Researcher Dr. Apu Chakraborty of University College London, UK states that ,
anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobia, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol and
drug dependence were significantly higher in homosexual respondents. Thirty percent of gays
and lesbians described themselves as fairly happy versus forty percent of straight people
(Collingwood). Dr. Chakraborty says "people who feel discriminated against experience social
stressors, which in turn increases their risk of experiencing mental health problems."
Here is a another story about a boy named Nicholas who was treated poorly for being
homosexual. "Nicholas had for years been the target for hurtful homophobic comments by
classmates without anyone at school ever intervening. As a model student, he never complained
about the situation. Other boys did not consider him masculine enough, and the talk was that he
was a fag. One day his class was passing the schools swimming pool, so some boys threw him
in fully clothed. Everyone including the teacher had a good laugh. Nicholas was humiliated and
distressed, and the event became the final straw. The next day he killed himself by jumping from
the top of the villages railway bridge. After his funeral, a recently hired teacher tried to sensitize
the school to the possible relationship between the ostracism inflicted on Nicholas and his
suicide. The mans efforts were met with the firm recommendation that he be silent on the issue,
and his teaching contract was not renewed." (Lynn, Gary)
I am amazed at how often this kind of situation happens when someone tries to take a

Cleverly4

stand against a political issue. Freedom of speech is supposed to be one of the rights we as
Americans enjoy, however, many times we are forced to be silent by those more powerful.
Homosexuality is not something everybody agrees with. We understand this clearly,
especially living in Utah. Most people who live here are Mormon (including myself) and being
gay is absolutely not accepted in the church.
Things like this are difficult for me to understand when I have been taught to love and
accept everyone! We believe that we are all given free agency and will be held accountable for
the choices we make. So why aren't people allowed to make decisions about their homosexuality
without someone telling them that it is a bad choice?
I can understand why some might feel uncomfortable about gays and lesbians, but
being homosexual isn't their choice. They have been born into this lifestyle and can't do anything
about it. To make these couples have different rights than heterosexual couples isn't helping to
stop discrimination.
Most people that discriminate don't do it intentionally. Maybe they aren't even the one
doing the discriminating, but when they see it happening, they stand by without speaking up
while another person is being hurt. Some people think it will cause them problems if they speak
up, so instead they take the easy way out and just watch it all go on.
The first step is to always use your voice to protect yourself and others from this kind of
injustice. Be determined enough to stand up to somebody who is making fun of gays or lesbians.
Think about how that would make you feel if everyone stood by and watched you get harassed
or disrespected in some way.

Cleverly5

Another way that we can all stop discrimination against homosexuality is by change.
Each one of us can do something that will help stop discrimination. Simple things like being
brave enough to stand up to somebody who is making fun of gays or lesbians.
If we take the time listen to gays and lesbians and understand some of their perspectives,
that will show that you are willing to see their side of things. Being open minded shows respect
to people who may feel judged. This doesn't mean you have to completely agree with everything
they say or with the choices they make, but just listening helps people feel less discriminated
against.
Take action to encourage individuality so that we can help get the word out. Allow
people to be proud of their differences and not ashamed or embarrassed. Practice including those
who you would not usually include because they are homosexual.
The main goal in life is to have peace. We need peace on earth to grow as a nation to
come together and help one another. I believe that stopping discrimination can be a step closer to
our nation coming together. We all have our differences and things that others don't believe are
right. Being able to understand one another and learn to become more accepting can help each
and every one of us.
We all need to take action, make changes, help one another be the best that they can be to
make a difference in this world. We need to stop treating homosexuals unfairly and start treating
them like the rest of us. Being welcoming to others and coming together is what we need and is
what will make this world a better place to live in.
To stop discrimination against homosexuals we need to stand up for those who are being
harassed, prepare for and seek change, listen and be understanding, and take action towards a

Cleverly6

better way of living. We can all do something to help. Be a part of this movement, stop
discrimination against homosexuality!

Cleverly7

Works Cited
Civil Rights. Gays and Lesbians. civilrights.org, 2014. Web.
Chakraborty, Dr. Apu. High Risk of Mental Health Problems for Homosexuals. 2014. Web. Oct.
2014.
Collingwood, Jane. High Risk of Mental Health Problems for Homosexuals. 2014. Web. Oct.
2014.
Human Rights Campaign. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, 2014. Web. 26, Oct. 2014.
Lynn, Gary. Stories To Wake You Up, 2011. Web. 24, Oct. 2014.
The Trevor Project. Facts About Suicide, 2014. Web. 24, Oct. 2014.