The issue of LGBT

The issue of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) has been a heated topic in societies all over the world these days.同性恋，是一个比较争议的话题。随着进入21世纪，这个也被越来越多的人认可了。

The issue of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) has been a heated topic in societies all over the world these days. People used to label these groups as “sick” or “abnormal” and tried to find any possible means to “cure” these preferences in terms of sex orientation. As the world gets into the 21st century, the call for tolerance, equality and diversity has received a great deal of support among the new generation; the young people no longer view LGBT as “wrong”, instead, they see these groups as a vital constituent of the society and call for people’s support. International organizations, such as United Nations, have also taken concrete steps to protect the legitimate right and equality of LGBT groups. However, there are still a number of people possessing stereotypes even discriminations against the LGBT groups. Christian churches, for example, claim it is against the will of God to be a member of LGBT; some countries, such as Russia, have even passed laws ruling that practicing homosexuality is illegal and will be imprisoned as punishment. In order to make the world a more diversified and tolerant one, we must be active to tell people the reality of LGBT, getting them rid of the wrong ideas of these minority groups, so that their right as a part of all mankind can be truly placed under protection.

Nowadays, western countries, particular developed industrial states, have made huge efforts to adjust the public’s view on LGBT individual and groups, including a series of protection and legislative means to legalize their sexual orientation, routine deeds and even the right of marriage. Netherland was the first country to grant homosexual’s right to marry, and some countries are even given the reputation of “gay-friendly”, such as United Kingdom. In these countries, however, the harassment and discrimination against LGBT individual and groups are still considered as relatively common. In a study conveyed in United Kingdom in 2006, 291 LGBT interviewees participated reported numerous discrimination and harassment incidents, indicating the still strong homophobia phenomenon in this area. In other developed countries, the issue varies from place to place. United States, for example, as a country under federal system, has different attitudes towards LGBT people in different states. In “blue” (pro-democrat) states such as New York and California, LGBT is generally tolerated and even welcomed, and legislative efforts concerning their legitimate rights have come to effect for relatively long; whereas in “red” states and states that are under heavy influence of Christianity, LGBT is considered unacceptable and even “blasphemy”. The Religion Restoration Act passed in a few states, for example, has actually protected those who commit discrimination towards LGBT people in the name of “freedom of religious belief”. The splits within the western world symbolize a long and hard way to go before LGBT people can be treated with true equality.

Compared to western society, situation in other countries are generally worse or remains unclear: China has no legislation protecting the LGBT rights, but it neither has explicit rules against them, which keep these groups in shades of grey; however, most Chinese citizens generally don’t accept LGBT or do not recognize them as normal orientation and choices. Russia, as mentioned in the beginning, has strict laws against homosexuals, which makes it the most controversial power in terms of modern human rights affairs. It was even used as excuses of western leaders of not attending important affairs held in Russia, such as the opening ceremony of 2014 Winter Olympics, etc. In general, the issue of LGBT is very complicated in terms of different countries and policies, and we must say that many people are not ready to embrace the reality that LGBT has become increasingly frequent among them, it takes time for people to accept and protect their legitimate rights and it is not something that can be achieved within seconds.

The solutions of the issue can be started from daily language use and etiquettes. It is known that universities and high schools are among the most frequent appearance locations of LGBT people, for the environment in these places are more tolerant than others. Teachers play a vital role in campus and classrooms, and it will be very appropriate for teachers who advocate the equality treatment of LGBT people to carry out a series of guidelines for themselves and use it to influence the students. For example, the Gay Straight Alliance of United States has a set of linguistic and behavioral guidelines for those teachers, namely “inclusive language” for LGBT. It contains 10 paragraphs, each indicating avoiding use negative gender expressions, confront bias, stereotypes and discriminations, and avoid unintentional bias, etc. Guidelines of this kind should be considered as a positive attitude and practical solution to change people’s viewpoint of these people. Education means a lot in every person’s growth, and if the society can successfully shape people’s thought during their education, it will be easy for them to accept the idea of treating all with equity, and the problem of LGBT people will be less difficult to deal with.

Another possible solution is to pass laws to protect the most frequently seen LGBT people right to stimulate their courage to speak for themselves, such as gay marriage, etc. One of the most important reasons that LGBT people get discriminated in some countries is that there exists a large “shade of gray”, which means that LGBT issue is neither considered illegal nor legal by the government of these countries, and there is no specific law or act to illustrate the issue clearly. OF course, it has left LGBT people space to survive and live, but also for homophobic and other groups who discriminate LGBT people. Whenever discrimination or conflict occurs, the victims have no place to prosecute since the law doesn’t protect them, and similar conflicts will be unintentionally encouraged in return. Therefore, legislative work is extremely important in protecting LGBT right and against discrimination. In countries like China, where the traditional morality standard roots deeply in people’s mind, it sometimes plays a much more important role than new trends of thoughts, which results in a strong repulsive hostility towards the individuals. Situations of this category make the law even more important in protection of LGBT rights.

LGBT issue is the product of a modern, open society and globalization; it has already affected a number of countries in the world and will keep spreading its influence as the world is tied with modern media and economy. LGBT has long been attributed as “abnormal”, “morbid” or even “insane” by most societies in the world, but today people have realized that tolerating difference is a must if we wish to live as a global citizen. Protecting civil and legitimate right of LGBT is not different from Civil Rights Movement that called for protecting African Americans. It takes the collaborative efforts of us all to make it happen.

Works Cited

Ellis, Sonja J. "Diversity and inclusivity at university: A survey of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) students in the UK." Higher Education 57.6 (2009): 723-739.

Weinberg, Michael. "LGBT-Inclusive Language." English journal 98.4 (2009): 50-51.



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