LGBTQ individuals are constantly kept out of the conversation about laws pertaining to their own freedoms. Individuals in certain political parties, such as the Tea and Republican parties, the radical right wing, religiously extreme groups, and even Democrats have been trying to wither the rights of such individuals, to the point at which there has been a conversation about excluding individuals from voting polls. When it comes to basic rights such as access to public space, employment, housing, freedom of speech, assembly, right to fair trial, right to health care and the right to military service, LGBTQ individuals’ rights have constantly been infringed upon or denied. It is time to realize that LGBTQ rights are human rights and issues pertaining to this community are global.
Access to bathrooms and public space
In North Carolina there is now a "bathroom bill” which is based on the usage of public restrooms. Individuals must use bathrooms according to the biological sex with which he or she was born. In states such as Alabama, people can face up to six months in jail for using bathrooms that are not associated with their biological sex. This goes against the idea that gender and sex are not synonymous. While sex indicates male and female biological characteristics, gender is a spectrum. This law denies people the right to choose which gender they would like to be. It also detracts from the right to the usage of public space. Transgender people will actually feel unsafe and may face harassment when they use the bathrooms labeled with the gender with which they do not associate themselves.
Employment and anti-discrimination
When Congress voted on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in 2007, the bill was only exclusive to the rights of employees facing discrimination due to their sexual orientation, but it did not include gender identity. Democrats removed transgender protections from the legislation, claiming they would not have enough votes to pass a more inclusive ENDA.
Housing
Nearly 20 percent of transgender people in the United Stateshave been discriminated against when searching for homes. They are denied homes on the basis that they are in the LGBTQ community. 10 percent have actually been evicted from their homes on the basis of their gender identification. Despite the Fair Housing Act, lack of awareness about housing discrimination has perpetrated crimes against LGBTQ individuals.
Global freedom of speech
Recently in Bangladesh, Xulhaz Mannan, a leading gay rights activist was hacked to death for his contribution to a leading LGBTQ rights magazine, Rupban. Religious fundamentalists are responsible for this attack. In other news, Mashrou3 Leila, a Lebanese rock band, has been banned from performing in Amman, Jordan and its concert in Amman’s amphitheater has been cancelled. The reason behind this is that protesters and government officials have claimed that the group is “anti-Islam” and “tampering with Arab cultural values.” These claims are false, as it just so happens that the lead singer is gay and the songs preach for an Arab world with freedom of sexuality and loss of fascism.
Freedom of assembly
Back in 2007, during the Moscow Pride Parade, several Russian LGBTQ individuals were rounded up and incarcerated. Homophobic nationalists took part in harrassing these individuals, and as the LGBTQ participants continued to express their pride, they themselves were carried into custody. Regular and riot police (OMON, Otryad Militsii Osobogo Naznachenya) arrested Nikolay Khramov and Sergey Konstantinov of the Russian Radicals and Free Radicals, respectively. These kinds of mass incarcerations continue to be government enforced across the world.
Right to fair trial
LGBTQ individuals have no legal protections in Uganda. However, there are LGBTQ activist communities such as Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG). In Uganda, several gay men were arrestedand face detention if they do not pay a bribe to be released. This is illegal and there is very little fairness when it comes to the trial of these individuals because there are very few people who will stand up for their rights.
Right to health care
LGBTQ individuals have limited access to health care due to their gender or transgender identities. This is an issue that remains prevalent all around the United States. However, there is change coming. Delaware’s insurance bulletin specifically prohibits“the denial, cancellation, termination, limitation, refusal to issue or renew, or restriction, of insurance coverage or benefits because of a person’s gender identity or transgender status, or because the person is undergoing gender transition.”
Right to military service:
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy barred openly bisexual and homosexual individuals from participating in military service due to the standard codes of “moral disciplines” ingrained in the military.Despite the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” military regulations prohibit transgender people from openly serving. Although there is no medically viable reason to exclude LGBTQ individuals from the military, this discrimination is still a huge problem.
There are more ways in which LGBTQ rights are being denied, including the right to marriage, adoption, and family structure. Simply speaking, the right to being is one that concerns the LGBTQ community. We must create local and global change to solve the issues that these individuals face.
