Hate Against The LGBT Community

Open hostility against the LGBT community is less severe in the US than in many other countries, but unfortunately bullying, harassment, and sometimes even violence against people based on their real or perceived sexual orientation does occur. Whether or not you need to worry about harassment largely depends on where in the US you live. People living in rural areas and small towns as well as much of the South and the MidWest are known for being intolerant of LGBT individuals, whereas people in many big cities are known for being very open and accepting. 

General public acceptance of the LGBT community continues to increase each year, but a large proportion of the US population is still opposed to guaranteeing homosexuals equal rights in all areas of life. Unfortunately, these groups, which are usually religiously and politically conservative, generally show very strong opposition. Although the LGBT community continues to gain more rights each year and same-sex marriage is now legal in 18 states, a very vocal group continues to proclaim that the future of the American Family and the very natural order itself are threatened by these changes. 

Homophobia is a particularly troubling problem when it comes to LGBT youth. 8 out of 10 LGBT students report being bullied in school because of their sexual orientation. This can have devastating psychological effects then and later in life. The rights of transgender people are often less clearly defined by US laws, making gender discrimination on the basis of gender identity a prevalent problem in the courtroom, the workplace and schools.

Although most forms of discrimination in the US are nonviolent, there are over 1000 known hate groups in the US. These include neo-Nazis, white nationalists, border vigilantes, and black separatists. The Southern Poverty Law Center watches all these groups and other extremists and reports any illegal activity to the federal government. They also offer support to the victims of hate crimes and other forms of discrimination by these groups.

Members of the LGBT community are the most likely minority group to be a victim of a violent hate crime. Whenever a certain issue becomes very emotionally charged in the US, a spike in the number of hate crimes can be noticed.

Evolving Transgender Stories

While transgender stories have become more visible in the media, there are many identities and terms outside of the two most culturally accepted genders — man and woman — that fall under the trans umbrella. And in many social circles, the vocabulary related to gender identity is unfamiliar or inaccessible.

Gender identity is an extremely personal part of who we are, and how we perceive and express ourselves in the world. It is a separate issue entirely from sex, our biological makeup; or sexual orientation, who we are attracted to. There are dozens of dynamic and evolving terms related to how people identify.

The following definitions represent some of the more current gender identities and the struggles to live them:

Agender: A term for people whose gender identity and expression does not align with man, woman, or any other gender. A similar term used by some is gender-neutral.

Androgynous: Identifying and/or presenting as neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine.

Bigender: Someone whose gender identity encompasses both man and woman. Some may feel that one side or the other is stronger, but both sides are present.

Binary: The gender binary is a system of viewing gender as consisting solely of two identities and sexes, man and woman or male and female.

Cisgender: A term used to describe someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth.

Dead name: How some transgender people refer to their given name at birth.

Gender fluid: A person who does not identify with a single fixed gender, and expresses a fluid or unfixed gender identity. One’s expression of identity is likely to shift and change depending on context.

Gender identity is evolving as it becomes more visible. The following are some definitions of experiences that are important in our understanding the complexity.

Gender identity: A person’s innermost concept of self as man, woman, a blend of both, or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. Gender identity can be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth.

Gender non-conforming: A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category.

Gender questioning: A person who may be processing, questioning, or exploring how they want to express their gender identity.

Genderqueer: A term for people who reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as genderqueer may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.

Gender dysphoria: Clinically defined as significant and durational distress caused when a person’s assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.

Gender expression: The external appearance of a person’s gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined masculine or feminine behaviors and characteristics.

Gender Identity And Being Transgender

The United States is now in the middle of what the New York Times has called "transgender bathroom hysteria." Across several states, conservative lawmakers are pushing laws that prohibit transgender people, who identify with a gender different than the one assigned to them at birth, from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. State officials say these laws are necessary for public safety--despite no evidence that letting trans people use the bathroom of their choice causes public safety problems. At the heart of the issue seems to be a widespread lack of understanding of trans issues and gender identity. After all, until a few years ago, concepts like gender identity and express--and how they affect the hundreds of thousands of Americans who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer--hardly scratched the surface of mainstream news and entertainment in any meaningful way.

The idea behind these different forms of identity and expression is that traditional gender roles--how people are expected by society to act based on the gender assigned to them at birth--are a social construct, not a biological one. This is a concept that causes a great deal of debate in religious and conservative circles, but it's largely uncontroversial for many anthropologists who indicate that gender is flexible enough the different societies and people can construct and interpret it differently. So transgender, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer are terms people use to describe their gender identity and expression, and how they differ from traditional societal standards and expectations.

Transgender--or trans--is an umbrella term that applies to at least 700,000 Americans who feel their internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender nonconforming people don't express their genders in a way society expects them to. Some gender nonconforming people might be androgynous, meaning they don't readily exhibit traits that can easily identify them as men or women. Men who exhibit feminine traits and women who express masculine characteristics may also identify as gender nonconforming. Genderqueer people generally don't identify or express as man or women, sometimes borrowing gender roles and traits outside society's typical expectations and other times taking elements from both masculinity and femininity. Androgynous people can also fall into this category if they identify their gender as neither male nor female. Sometimes there is an overlap between transgender, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer communities. People might identify with all, so, or none of these concepts, even if they exhibit traits attributed to these three forms of identity and expression. There are dozens of ways people identify and express themselves, so these three concepts fall far short of the full realm of possibilities. 

It might be difficult for most people to fully understand the many hurdles that trans, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer people deal with on a daily basis. But they face huge disparities in nearly every aspect of society. Families shun and even disown children over their gender identity and expression. Employers and landlords may deny people jobs and homes because they don't conform to gender norms, which is legal to do under most states' laws. In social settings and media, trans people are commonly portrayed as purposely deceptive individuals and even sexual predators who want to trick or trap others into sleeping with them.

The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey found trans and gender nonconforming people are nearly four times as likely to live in extreme poverty as the general population. They found 57 percent of trans and gender nonconforming people report family rejections. This rejection had horrible effects: Trans and gender nonconforming people who are rejected by their families are nearly three times as likely to experience homelessness, 73 percent more likely to be incarcerated, and 59 percent more likely to attempt suicide. Trans people, particularly trans women of color, face some of the highest rates of hate violence and murder in the country. 

As with many other issues of discrimination, the root of the problem is prejudice: the idea that people who are not cisgender are somehow inferior or wrong about how they identify. The biggest issue is the mischaracterization that people who don't conform to society's expectations of gender are always try to deceive others. It is perhaps the stereotype that underpins so many of the issues these people face in their everyday lives, making it so they have a difficult time even entering the bathroom that corresponds to their gender--much less getting a job or gaining family acceptance. 

Despite some progress at the state level, most states don't ban workplace discrimination based on gender identity. The nation appears to be at a transitional point on gender identity issues: While there has been some progress, there is a long way to go before trans, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer people have equality.

Companies and Products Boycotted for Supporting LGBT Rights

Oreo's support of Pride Month may have been applauded by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates after the popular brand released an image of a rainbow-stuffed cookie on its Facebook page, but not everyone was as ecstatic after the now-iconic shot vent viral on a number of social media platforms.

As a result, a number of different Facebook groups have sprung up denouncing the controversial image. The founder of one writes, "Kraft foods and Oreo cookies have decided to toss the morals that formed our great nation right out the window and literally toss them right down our throat! Boycott Oreo cookies and hit them where it hurts...in the wallet."

Still, a Kraft Foods spokesperson defended the Oreo image. "As a company, Kraft Foods has a proud history of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness. We feel the Oreo ad is a fun reflection of our values."

Of course, the brand is not the first to experience a backlash of conservative consumers after publicly supporting LGBT rights.

Other companies have been boycotted by conservatives in recent years until as the groups say they "stop going down the Path of Destruction".

The following is a list of companies who have supported LGBT and have been boycotted because of it:

Betty Crocker

Levis

Cheerios and General Mills Products

American Apperal

Walt Disney World Resort

Starbucks

Wheaties

Tide - Proctor and Gamble

Microsoft

Home Depot

Pampers Diapers

Pepsi

Safeway

Crest

Old Navy

Girl Scouts

Macys

Target

JC Penney

Pillsbury

Walgreens

Ford 

Gap

Green Giant

The conservative anti-gay group behind this spring's scrapped JCPenney boycott is now targeting Oreos for the cookie brand's controversial endorsement of Pride month. In a post titled "Oreo -- No Longer Favorite Cookie," members of One Million Moms are condemning a now-iconic image which showed the cookie filled with rainbow-colored cream. The image, which was praised by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates, was unveiled last weekend on Oreo's offical Facebook page and quickly went viral on a number of social media platforms after its release.

"The cookie maker is quick to point out that the picture is simply an ad, and doesn't depict a true product," the group notes on its website. "But it announced to American consumers where it stands on the controversial "gay" marriage issue. Homosexuals are weighing in, hoping Oreo makes the fake cookie real."

"There are plenty of cookies on the market for moms to buy for their families that do not support liberal causes," the group's rant continues. "We have a choice. Kraft's brands include Oreo, Cadbury, Maxwell House, and Nabisco."

One Million Moms' assessment, unfortunately, is shared by a number of vocal consumers, as evidenced by a number of different Facebook groups which have sprung up denouncing the controversial image. The latest tiraid comes just weeks after One Million Moms members condemned DC Comics and Marvel Superheroes for their inclusion of gay characters. The group is perhaps best know, however, for threatening to boycott JCPenney, after the retail group hired Ellen DeGeneres, who is openly gay, as its spokeswoman. Members of the group also blasted JCPenney in May, after the Texas-based chain included a lesbian couple as models in its Mother's Day shopping catalog, and yet again in June after a gay male couple was featured in the Father's Day edition. 

Gay issues continue to become more and more visible and this rainbow-stuffed Oreo add has done a lot to bring awareness to us and our need for human rights and equality. It will be interesting to watch the LGBT journey unfold!