Discrimination, Social Exclusion and Violence among the LGBT Community

Discrimination, Social Exclusion and Violence among the LGBT Community Research indicates that there has been an increasing number of social exclusion and discrimination instances amongst the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender groups (LGBT).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Discrimination, Social Exclusion and Violence among the LGBT Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In most cases this has resulted to violence (Meyer, 2008). Social exclusion can be defined as the process by which a group of people is discriminated against due to their sexual orientation, race and/or religion. The discrimination is evident in public places, the legal system or in places of residence. Social exclusion is experienced in all areas of life, from political and cultural to economical and it penetrates all areas of the social realm (Meyer, 2008). Social exclusion in particular seems to fulfill the concept of inequality in that it focuses on the inequalities between different groups. The differe nces in most instances are used as avenues of denying access to various services such as political offices, healthcare at times and access to education in terms of scholarships and education bursaries. LGBT community faces discrimination and most notably marginalization in many forms. The worst of the discrimination is violence or the gay killings that are found in many cities. Despite the constant murders, the law enforcers in many instances do not investigate these cases seriously due to public views on the same. In comparison to other killings with violence, few public outbursts result from gay killings. John and Elizabeth (2006) note that few people are willing to fully cooperate with the law enforcers after disclosing the identity of the murdered person or the location of crime, most of which are regarded as usual joints where gay men hook up with their partners (John Elizabeth, 2006). Additionally, only 31% of gay violence victims will report the incidence to the police and a bout 50% of the community have been victims of gay violence, most of them more than once in their life time (Helen, 2006). Meyer (2008) in his studies notes that 32% of the total gay community were subjected to violence, with 12% having faced black mail, 6% were exposed to vandalism and 4% received hate messages at one point in their life. The population, however, that is most at risk were the 18 years and below where almost 49% were victims of abuse and 61% had been harassed publicly like in colleges and embarrassed (Helen, 2006). Amongst the females, the main forms of violence and discrimination relate to their sexuality where 20% of males had been sexually harassed in comparison to 40% of the females (Helen, 2006).Advertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, the LGBT community is constantly faced with the casual homophobic views and comments and other inappro priate responses that emanate from health professionals. The community does not face any form of protection against discrimination either at work stations, housing pensions, or the recognition of the same-sex marriage. Despite the various campaigns advanced by the group, few people would willingly support a family member into an LGB relationship that would ultimately lead to marriage (Meyer, 2008). Few countries have legalized the LGB marriages and in most countries, especially the developing countries, the same sex partners are stoned to death or imprisoned for purportedly going against the constitution. In such instances very few human rights activists would emerge to fight for the rights of the LGBT community despite constant incidences where other human rights violations are committed. This clearly depicts the type of social exclusion the group goes through. The media, to some extent, has assisted propagate the discrimination and social exclusion where few of the media houses ta ke a clear stand on the issue. They also hardly educate the public on the same. References Helen, M. (2006). Out on your own. An examination of the mental health of young same-sex attracted men. Belfast: The Rainbow Project. Web. John D. , Elizabeth P. (2006). Envisaging the adoption process to strengthen gay- and lesbian-headed families: recommendations for adoption professionals. Child Welfare Journal, 85: 45-67 Meyer, I. (2008). Prejudice, social stress and mental health in lesbian, gay and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin 129(5): 674-697