Discrimination within the LGBT community Xenophobia is and always has been rampant in our society; people have

always disliked and/or feared what is unknown or different from them. This irrational fear and/or hatred has created divides and social hierarchies amongst us. A few examples of ways this has been done are with race, religion, gender, and sexuality. To further deconstruct these divides and hierarchies, society also likes to put things in binaries (Male/Female, Good/Evil, Straight/Gay, etc), assigning one a higher status and the other a lower. These divides, hierarchies, and binaries usually have a negative impact and tend to lead toward racism, discrimination, and more hatred. Within the Straight/Gay construct Straight is given a higher status and Gay a lower. LGBTQ communities are then further fragmented into hierarchies of worthiness. When gays and lesbian first started campaigning for acceptance they did so by suggesting that they were just like you, but with the exception of having partners of the same sex. This gave heterosexuals a way in which to identify with, as well as relate to them. Although this was a step forward in the fight for acceptance and equality, it set a homonormative standard. Today, LGBTQ people that come the closest to mimicking heteronormative standards of gender identity are deemed most worthy of receiving rights, while individuals at the bottom of the hierarchy (transsexuals, transvestites, intersex, bisexuals, non-gender identified) are seen as an impediment to this elite class of homonormative individuals receiving their rights. LGBTQ people who do not meet the heteronormative standard are seen as damaging to the social and political acceptance of gays and lesbians. Discrimination can sometimes be found between members of the same community. Although Trans is part of the LGBTQ acronym, some members of the LGBTQ community are

uncomfortable with trans individuals. Some reject the idea that they are part of their community and feel they should only be accepted if they themselves self-identify as gay or lesbian. Some view them as a violation of the social understandings of the homosexual community and see their fight and issues as entirely separate; gays and lesbians are fighting for same sex-marriage, while trans people are fighting for the simplification of the process for changing gender on government identity documents, to have sex reassignment surgery covered by Medicare, and to have gender identity included as a protected category under the Human Rights Code. This type of thinking displayed by these particular gays and lesbians is called transphobia and is often found within the community. Transphobia allows for the stereotyping, negative valuing, and discriminatory treatment towards individuals whose appearance and/or identity does not conform to current social expectations or conventional conceptions of gender. Although the number one goal of gays and lesbians is to put an end to intolerance, stereotyping and discrimination, some project exactly that onto members of their own community. Bi-phobia is another form of discrimination that can be found within the queer community. In its simplest form bi-phobia is the fear or hatred of bisexuals and bisexuality, but it can also be more subtle. Not wanting to date someone who identifies as bisexual for fear they will be promiscuous, indecisive, unfaithful, or will be constantly longing for the other sex are all examples of bi-phobia. Many gays and lesbians fear exactly that. Part of this fear stems from the insecurity of feeling inadequate because they don't have certain characteristics that the opposite sex does have and therefore will probably get hurt. Some gays and lesbians do not think that bisexuals should even be part of the community and feel they are diluting the movement and weakening the cause by blurring the lines and boundaries. Not only do bisexuals face discrimination from members outside of the queer community for not falling into the

heteronormative standard, but they also experience discrimination from members within their community for not fitting into the homonormative standard. The umbrella term queer was created in order to embrace all forms of sexual identity, desire and acts that deviate from the sexuality and gender normative. Although the term queer encompasses Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans, there are still huge divides and discrimination found amongst these groups. How can anyone from the queer community ask for acceptance from the rest of the world, when full acceptance isn't even practiced within itself? In order to move forward every group from the queer community must unit, fight together, and start treating each other the same way they ask anyone outside of the community to treat them.

Works Cited

Transphobia. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 23 April 2010. 23 April 2010

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transphobia>

Heteronormativity. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 23 April 2010. 23 April 2010

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronormativity>

Why do lesbians hate bisexuals?. Lesbilicious 2008

<http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/community/why-do-lesbians-hate-bisexuals/>