I have picked social stigmas against the LGBTQ+ community as my
hot-button issue. This is an important issue to me, as I am a part of
that community, so stigmas against it directly affect me. In the past, I
have been insulted, discriminated against, and threatened with death,
all because I am a gay man.
LGBTQ+ individuals are suffering and discriminated against in many
parts of the country. Being marginalized and told that you are
abnormal, a deviant, and worse, can negatively impact a person's
mental health. In some parts of the country, it is acceptable to
discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in hiring practices and housing.
Some laws prevent trans women from playing on teams with other
women, which not only devalues the trans women but also upholds
sexist ideology that harms women by claiming a person born a man is
better at sports than one born a woman. Facing discrimination like
this daily harms the mental and economic health of the marginalized.
Finding a job or housing can be difficult when people harbor bias
against your group.
These issues negatively affect society; cultivating a culture of hate
and ignorance is not a sustainable way to live. Large amounts of
money are lost when people cannot work because they are too
stressed from living with hatred. Unfortunately, some people turn to
negative routes to deal with their stress, such as drugs or alcohol,
which leads to increased crime and drug-related accidents.
I would use my emotional intelligence to better understand these
issues, with social justice and ethics at the forefront. Trying to
compassionately understand the viewpoint of the bigots in society
that discriminate could lead to answers on how to better deal with
their fears and hatred.
This topic resonates well with the social justice and ethics themes.
Social justice is the fair and equal treatment of all people regardless of
differences. The LGBTQ+ community has not been treated equally or
fairly throughout history. Unfortunately, the American Psychological
Association has been an enemy of the community in the past,
classifying the community as mentally ill or sexually deviant until the
early 70s. Now with a greater focus on ethics, I hope the APA can be
an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
