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LGBTQ+: Understanding the Community

Jillian E. Proctor

Sinclair University: Department of Psychology

PSY 101: General Psychology

Matthew Funke

April 11th, 2021

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The LGBTQ+ community is one that has brought many together, the last few decades

especially. This open and honest group pertaining to sexuality and sexual preference is

something that many lean on to feel secure in their own decisions and to feel welcomed. For

many decades and even centuries, sexuality that was not considered straight was frowned upon

and was not accepted and this type of hate still continues to rage on within our country and

others across the world to this day.

In the United States, the LGBTQ+ community have faced many trials fighting for basic

human rights within this country. While the country has made strides for the rights of community

members, the effects of living this lifestyle has daunting effects on its identifying members. With

past legislation many believe that LBGTQ+ have no more worries about their rights being

infringed upon but that is simply not the case. In 2016 a bill passed in North Carolina attacking

trans people’s accommodations and access to public areas and more bills set out after this first

attack continuing the discriminatory trend (Singh et al). The question of whether trans people

should have a separate bathroom or if they are able to use the restroom that refers to their gender

orientation is still a huge debate in these modern times.

On a more personal level, microaggression towards the LGBTQ+ members have been

very prevalent in statistics within recent studies. Members who had an encounter with an act of

discrimination within the previous year were almost 47% more likely to make specific decisions

on where to shop and over 50% avoided talking about LGBTQ+ issues in social settings (Singh

et al). While these are a high number within statistics, the list of struggles faced are

insurmountable. Many struggle with being attacked at work and find it easier to hide their true

identity from those they work with or are around. Within the America Progress article, a gay man

talked about how he would choose specific suits and pitch his voice lower in business meetings
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because if he showed a sense of femininity he wouldn’t be taken as seriously within the

workplace.

While the troubles faced by the LGBTQ+ community is prevalent in the United States,

serious contempt towards this community is being put in motion in Poland. A trending situation

on Twitter pertained to the hurt of members because of the “LGBT Free-Zones” which had been

established across the country. Strides in acceptance of LGBTQ+ members began with the new

2020 presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski. He continued to improve LGBTQ+ accessibility

within the country including signing legislation about overcoming discrimination and promoting

equality (Reid). This positive impact fueled the oppositions stiff views on this community

increasing hatred and started the “LGBT Ideology free zones.” Since Poland is a part of the

European Union, many are focusing their efforts towards the EU to speak up about what is going

on in the country. They have received many notifications and are being bombarded with the

violations in which have been committed.

The LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, etc. There are quite a few

subsections to this group so it is hard to narrow down the struggles of each individual group.

With this being said, I had the opportunity to interview a woman named Brooklyn Shepard who

identifies as bisexual and asked her just a few questions. When asked about her experiences with

the community and certain advantage and disadvantages, she was able to provide insight on her

views. “Because party lines and states tend to self-sort themselves because of political

ideology with more rural areas being proportionally more conservative, it can be a

disadvantage to live in these certain places because you have to wonder who may be accepting

or not. I have a built-in community of people just like me who are able to support my

decisions because they are thinking in the same manner I am” (Shepard). Through social
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media and other outlets, many are able to connect with those who share the same preferences

so it is the support these individuals look for within the community. As Ms. Shepard

mentioned, living in certain areas with differentiating ideologies is hard because views on

certain situations are so sparse, it makes it difficult to gauge safety.

Within her experiences, others have often stigmatized her specific sexuality as being

“unfaithful” of “undecided”. This type of stigma is quite common for this specific sexuality

and as she mentions when asked about what others should know about the LGBTQ+, is that

not everyone fits the image. “Not everyone in the group looks a certain way. There is a

limited amount of representation of these types of sexuality or community because media and

other outlets portray it as more relatable to fit all outlets and people should realize that the

community is diverse and these sexualities do not all look the same.” This is very true because

as she mentioned, sexuality is sometimes pushed into a box of what is most likely to be

accepted by large groups of people, especially in media. The type of diversity seen within this

community is something that is hard to compete with, so trying to compact this huge group of

people into a small box is something that shouldn’t be tried.

Along with the stigmas of bisexuality, there are other stereotypes associated with

members including the lesbian community. When asked if anything could be changed or

altered within the community her answer focused on lesbians and group known as TERF

(Trans-exclusionary radical feminist). “Young lesbians just beginning to discover themselves

are susceptible to indoctrination by the TERF community, specifically on social media like

Twitter, and their flag has been used for not so pleasant means such as TERF ideology and I

wish more people spoke up on this issue.” This type of association puts a bad name on certain

groups who may not even associate with these types of organizations which is an important
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distinction that needs to be made. Her hopes and fears for this community is that from a

legislative stand point, some protections may be rolled back but she hopes to see more

members create footholds in higher positions which will help protect the citizens who fight for

equality and freedom within their own community as well as the government (B.Shepard,

personal communication, April 9, 2021).

I consider myself a fairly young person and at 17 years old, I know I am not fully

equipped to speak on issues I know little about. With recent events including racial

movements and LGBT Q+ fights for equality, I have always held appreciation and supported

the group. I am glad I have this little bit of decency but I never involved myself in issues

which pertained to this group. I have friends and family members who identify with this group

and I never dove deeper into social issues and aggressions towards this group until writing

this paper. With conducting an interview and researching about how citizens are affected by

their cultures and lifestyle, it has given me more compassion. I have the privilege to go in

public and simply be passed upon because I am a small woman who seems quite feminine

which doesn’t bring much stigma aside from the general stereotypes associated with females.

Many worry about which store to buy groceries from or even speak about their sexuality

because many have died and been abused only on the grounds of sexual preference. This type

of discrimination is completely immoral and should never be justified in any scenario and it is

a shame that members have to worry for their safety in daily tasks just because of their sexual

preference in partners.

The trials and tribulations set out to this community is a daunting task. Many feel

unsafe completing daily tasks such as work or grocery shopping because of their sexual

orientation/preference. In Poland there are whole cities dedicated to removing LGBTQ+

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identifying people because they are seen as a “disgrace”. Growing up in a time in history that

has many significances, I am able to look deeper into social issues such as the aggressions

towards members and have sympathy for the things that many go through on the daily.

Interviewing an openly bisexual woman opened my eyes to how things go within the

community and how sexuality does affect all aspects of life. Being true to oneself can open

many doors and welcome you into a community which you can feel secure within yourself in.
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References

Singh, S., & Durso, L. E. (2017, May 2). Widespread Discrimination Continues to Shape LGBT

People’s Lives in Both Subtle and Significant Ways. Retrieved from Center for American

Progress: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-

rights/news/2017/05/02/429529/widespread-discrimination-continues-shape-lgbt-

peoples-lives-subtle-significant-ways/

Reid, G. (2021, February 24). Poland Breaches EU Obligations Over LGBT, Women’s Rights.

Retrieved from Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/24/poland-

breaches-eu-obligations-over-lgbt-womens-rights