On June 26th, 2016, the United States marked one year since the Obergefell v. Hodges case in which it was ruled that same sex couples have a fundamental right to marry because of the Due Process Clause, Equal Protection Clause, and the Fourteenth Amendment. But since the ruling, how far have we come in true equality for LGBT people? Marriage equality was not the last step for LGBT rights. If anything it was only the first.

As of 2016, the FDA still holds a ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood unless they have been celibate and not had sex with another man in the past year. The original ban, prohibited gay and bisexual men from giving blood began after the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in 1981. It is unfair, especially with our societies advancements in technology, screening, and prevention that we still associate HIV/AIDS with gay and bisexual men. The restrictions and testing on donated blood have been strengthened and improved so that if someone does have a communicable disease their blood will not be used, or they will not be allowed to donate in the first place. A healthy man in a monogamous relationship should not be banned from giving blood.

It should also be noted that only 20 states and DC prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and only 19 states and DC prohibit employment discrimination based on gender identity.

The fact that laws do not exist to protect individuals from discrimination, whether it's employment or housing, just because of who they love or the gender they express, is unacceptable. We may have marriage equality, but many other nations have marriage equality and protections for LGBT people already. No person deserves to be fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. And no person deserves to be denied housing for those reasons either.

Marriage equality was just the first step in true equality for LGBT people. Violence, sexual assault, and bullying rates towards LGBT people is still considerably higher than rates for their straight and cisgender peers. The Office for Victims of Crime states that "One in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted at some point in their lives". According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey from 2015, 41 percent of transgender people had attempted suicide, compared to the national average of 1.6 percent. Those rates climb even higher when you separate suicide attempts by race/ethnicity, as shown in the graphic below.

As you can see, problems still exist for LGBT people in the United States. Marriage equality did not fix everything, and it is not the end to the battle for equal rights. Right now, laws may not be enough. If these laws we want are non-existent, or even prohibited from being introduced, it is going to take a societal change for anything to happen.

By a societal change, I mean acceptance. We need to learn to be accepting of gender identities, preferred pronouns, sexual orientation, and the struggles that LGBT people face. We need to recognize gender identities as valid and meaningful. We must erase negative stereotypes about transgender people and LGB people. This change in views and stereotypes is not going to happen overnight. People still use members of LGBT communities as scapegoats and blame them for the troubles in the world. (Westboro Baptist Church, anyone?)

Our society must reject hate and instead choose love. The only way we can combat the hatred and ignorance directed at LGBT people is to show love and compassion towards them. Do not give into fear or ignorance. Fight it and keep fighting it until it is extinguished.

The fight is not over, and it won't be for a long time. But we cannot stop now. We must keep fighting for social, political, and worldwide change if we want to be treated equally.