It has been a while since I have written a blog post due to illness and work and everything in between. I didn’t have a free minute to actually sit down and really get back into my writing. Over the past month I have had that time to really think back on all the stories, articles and programmes I have watched and one topic that has continued to stick out to me the discussion about sexuality and how still to this day it is still a touchy subject for people.
I have always been the kind of person that couldn’t care less about how people identify as or what their sexual preference is, because to me it is only a word not a whole person. I feel many people forget that and automatically attach a stereotype to the word which to be honest really shocks me. I have found that ever since the presidential election campaigns began in America many people are having to defend their sexual identity and their sexual orientation which is causing fear and homophobia across the country and to be honest the rest of the world. So many activists have fought for decades to get proper and substantial rights for the LGBTQ community with the likes of Harvey Milk, Christine Burns and Laverne Cox fighting tirelessly to get society to accept all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation or identity. It honestly scares me how far people are going back on those rights. Statistically speaking out of 7,121 victims of hate crimes in the US, 17.7% were targeted due to their sexual orientation, this is taken from the FBI’s data collection on hate crimes. Now this might not seem like a high number to some people but that’s almost a fifth of all hate crimes occurring due to people’s homophobic tendencies towards the LGBTQ community.
I feel as though this number will rise and rise as we see the beginning of the Trump presidency in America. This election to me has shown how much of a racist, misogynistic, homophobic and backwards country America really is. They talk so much about being the land of opportunity and freedom but they are really starting to show how untrue that really is. Don’t get me wrong I know that not all Americans are this way as many of my relatives live all across the United States and many of them have agreed that they are scared of what is going to happen to their country.
Which makes me extremely thankful to live in a country like Ireland that over the past few years has really taken the time to understand and appreciate the wonderful work the LGBTQ community does for our people. I know that wasn’t always the case but I am extremely proud that we are one of the first countries in the world to pass gay marriage rights. Many people my age were so excited by the chance to vote to allow gay marriage in Ireland. Many of my friends who never previously had an interest in politics really understood the opportunity they had been given to make a difference in our society and give people that chance at happiness and to be accepted and appreciated in society.
When we really look back on what has changed for the LGBTQ community we think back to when people were cut off from their families, killed, bullied and so on but what really saddens me is that this is happening today. I think a big reason for this is because people are still so uneducated about it all. If parents are hard on their kids for being who they are then they really need to take a look at their own lives and think maybe if I understood what my son/daughter is going through maybe then I could be a big help to them. I know that parents are learning more and there is a lot more information out there for people but sometimes it isn’t the right information. The right thing to do is communicate. With our world becoming more and more digitalized we forget the key to happiness and understanding is communicating with one another properly and I don’t mean shouting back and forth but really sitting down and asking the questions you really want to ask and getting your information correct. The biggest help to LGBTQ people in such a hard and troublesome world for them sometimes is the support of others, especially their families.
I have asked many of my friends before who are a part of the LGBTQ community what their main issue is with society and relatives when opening up about their sexual orientation or sexual identity and the first thing they all say is that nobody listens and assumes they know what is best and what is right when that simply is not the case. We need to open our eyes and realise that just because we have the internet now and lots more books, leaflets and research being cared out we don’t always know the answer and that’s ok.
I wish we lived in a world were coming out wasn’t a thing and you just brought your boyfriend or girlfriend over and that was it. Where people don’t automatically think just because you’re gay that you are attracted to every single man that you meet. I saw a quote the other day on the internet and I loved it, it goes like this; ‘Homosexuality has been found in over 450 species but homophobia has only been found in 1. Which one is unnatural?’ If that is not proof enough that we are made the way we are I don’t know what is.
I think it’s worth mentioning to people that if you feel like you aren’t being heard because you fight for what you believe in like LGBTQ rights, human rights and so on, you have the power to change it. I don’t mean protests, angry mobs or anything but like what I said earlier get the powerful people in government to listen to you because without the support of the people the government is nothing. So don’t ever feel powerless because you have all the power to make this world a peaceful and wonderful place one day at a time. Never underestimate the power of one.
Lots of Love,
Anna
Beautifully Imperfect World 