The legalization of gay marriage in the United States has left many concluding that LGBTQ+ people no longer face major discrimination, but this is entirely inaccurate.
Due to the overwhelming presence of heteronormativity in society, LGBT youth are more likely to be bullied by peers and face backlash from their families. Bullying takes a severe toll on mental health and can lead to the development of low self-esteem, anxiety, and/or depression.
Meanwhile, some families choose to disown their children over a non-straight or trans identity: LGBT youths are more likely to become homeless or end up in foster care.
Bullying and familial abandonment contribute to suicide attempts among the LGBTQ+ community.
One major source of disparity is the way LGBT individuals are treated by the healthcare system. There have been several instances of doctors refusing patients treatment on the basis of religious or moral beliefs. When treatment is given, doctors are more likely to be harsh or abusive when dealing with non-straight, trans, or non-gender conforming patients (When Health Care Isn’t Caring, p. 10, para. 2).
LGBT patients are also often blamed for their own health problems, especially if they’re an individual living with AIDS or HIV.
Due to being a minority group, LGBTQ+ people are more subject to wealth inequality than their peers.
Over the past decades, lesbian bars have been closing their doors all across the United States. Many have speculated about the potential causes with some going as far as to blame transgender women for encroaching on women’s spaces.
A much more likely explanation is that wages have stagnated while the wage gap has grown as the privileged and wealthy continue to attain more wealth. The ones running lesbian bars are gay/bisexual women: members of two minorities who are, therefore, going to face more financial challenges when running a business.
The opposition didn’t end after gay marriage was legalized: there are many other ways for majority groups to continue enforcing their power over minorities.
A lot of progress has yet to be made for the LGBTQ community in the United States in order for them to achieve the status of true equality that they deserve. Thank you for educating me on some of the issues that these individuals face, including the mental issues that can be acquired and the way in which they are viewed by counterparts in their society. The legalization of gay marriage under the Obama administration was just the beginning in the journey for equality. What do you think are the best ways to go about ensuring that this minority group is seen as equal? Is it wishful thinking to think that everyone in the United States will support them?