...fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Yet, it is still legal in 29 states to be fired for just being gay. In 33 of the 50 states of the United States of America, one can be fired for being transgendered. These states do not have legal protections for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community (Solmonese, 2009). So does the “American Dream” only apply to “first class citizens”? This paper explores if the Employee Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) would protect employment decisions, which should be based upon a person's qualifications and job performance, not sexual orientation or gender identity (Solmonese, 2009). For over 50 years when there has been a case of an American being denied employment or promotions for reasons that were unrelated to their skills in the workplace, Congress responded by passing laws which were aimed at designing a system based solely on employee- merit and guaranteeing that subjective considerations do not govern access to employment (Herman, 2009). A specific act that has been brought to legislation, although has not passed, is the Employee Non Discrimination...
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...Discrimination and Sexual Orientation By Mario Satterthwaite 11/26/2013 Discrimination is the prejudicial and/or distinguishing treatment of an individual based on their actual or perceived membership in a certain group or category, "in a way that is worse than the way people are usually treated. It involves the group's initial reaction or interaction, influencing the individual's actual behavior towards the group or the group leader, restricting members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to another group, leading to the exclusion of the individual or entities based on logical or irrational decision making. Discriminatory traditions, policies, ideas, practices, and laws exist in many countries and institutions in every part of the world, even in ones where discrimination is generally looked down upon. In some places, controversial attempts such as quotas or affirmative action have been used to benefit those believed to be current or past victims of discrimination but have sometimes been called reverse discrimination themselves. Inequality in the workplace is any form of bias or discrimination that takes place in a work environment and is established, promoted, or allowed to persist by the workplace authority. It is common for a workplace to have inequalities based on gender, race, and social class. There is usually a hierarchy that exists in the workplace in which managers, leaders and executives are paid higher wages and have more...
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...become the sexual person I am today. I grew up in a developing Asian country where sex is a restricted topic at school, but prostitution is always at all time high. I did not get exposed to sex education until age 15, and lost my virginity at age 18. Most of my sexual experience occurred within the past six years of my life, after I moved to America. As an immigrant, I have dealt with identity issues along with other life crisis. Therefore, finding my sexual self has been a life obstacle being in between two cultures with different standards. Family and tradition have strongly influenced my sexual orientation and somewhat my sexual belief. However,...
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...Homosexuality From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about homosexuality in humans. For homosexuality in other animals, see Homosexual behavior in animals. Sexual orientation Male and female symbols overlaid Sexual orientations Asexual Bisexual Heterosexual Homosexual Non-binary categories Androphilia and gynephilia Non-heterosexual Pansexuality Polysexuality Queer Research Biological Human female sexuality Human male sexuality Demographics Environment Hetero/homosexual continuum Kinsey scale Klein Grid Neuroscientific Queer studies Sexology Timeline of sexual orientation and medicine Non-human animals Animal sexual behaviour Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals Homosexual behavior in animals (list) Category Category v t e Part of a series on Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people LGBT flag Sexual orientation Homosexuality Demographics Biology Environment History LGBT history Timeline Social movements Culture LGBT community Coming out Pride Slang Symbols Gay village Rights Laws around the world Marriage Union Adoption LGBT parenting Military service Legal aspects of transgenderism Intersex human rights Social attitudes Heteronormativity LGBT stereotypes Queer Religion and homosexuality Religion and transgender Prejudice / Violence AIDS stigma Anti-intersex Biphobia Genderism Heterosexism Homophobia Lesbophobia Binarism Sexualism Suicide among LGBT youth Transphobia Violence against LGBT people LGBT trafficking ...
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...anization Diversity Organization Robert McReynolds University of Phoenix Diversity Organization For many years, Americans have held certain opinions concerning gender, sex, women, and sexual orientation. A definition of both gender and sex will be provided. The roles of women throughout American history will be discussed. When people think about masculinity and femininity, they have certain preconceived ideas. How these ideas contribute to the understanding gender, sex, and sexual orientation will be examined. Finally, the status of GLBT individuals will be explored. An increased understanding will be gained concerning these issues. Gender and Sex Gender can be defined as an individual’s feelings of being either male or female (Stets & Burke, 1988). This is how an individual identifies themselves. Sex on the other hand is the physical and biological characteristics someone is born with. This simply means whether the individual has a penis, vagina, or both. Despite the similarity in the definitions of these two terms, gender and sex are not the same things (Stets & Burke, 1988). Women In the past, women have had many roles. From the first colonies in America, women were in charge of maintaining the household and caring for the family. However, they did not always have the same rights as men. As families moved westward into uncivilized territories, women were tasked with the responsibilities of defending their families against forces of nature when the husband...
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...reproductive traits to sex than gender. How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? Gender and sex contributes to the concepts of masculinity and femininity on a basis to where contemporary America believes that male is to masculinity as female is to femininity and the truth of the matter is that you can’t judge a person to be a male or female based on whether they are feminine or masculine because both males and females carry traits that are masculine and traits that are feminine. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, I believe that our concepts on gender and sex contributes to the way that we embrace them in diversity because we tend to categorize certain aspects to what we feel a male/female should look like, sounds like, smell like, and act like and when someone doesn’t fit that we question their gender/sex instead of accepting them for who they are. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Yes, I believe that our concepts of gender and sex contributes a good deal to our understanding of sexual orientation because in contemporary America, if you are a male and are feminine in...
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...Discrimination in the workplace against sexual preferences is common. Cracker Barrel in 1991 put in place a policy ban to veto employment to both lesbians and gays. A decade later they were faced many charges on racism for both employees and customers. LGBT individuals should be protected of their civil rights just as much as any race, gender, pregnancy, nationality, and disability. Cracker Barrel operates under traditional values and supports the notion that federal legislation is warranted to stop employment discrimination on sexual orientation. The Cracker Barrel case is something that has caused much controversy for the LGBT community. But, it has also brought the attention of this problem to federal legislation. After reading the article, we can see that federal legislation is in fact supporting this case. There are no federal laws in place at this time that actually prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, but federal legislation does not agree with the way Cracker Barrel is discriminating against the lesbian and gay community. In this day and age there needs to be some sort of protection for the LGBT community. There are federal laws that prevent discrimination based on a person’s religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, and race. So, now there needs to be laws that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. Cracker Barrel should not be allowed to get away with the way they have treated their gay and lesbian employees...
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...For Immediate Release Gays and Lesbians Face Persistent Workplace Discrimination and Hostility Despite Improved Policies and Attitudes in Corporate America Findings of New National Survey by Witeck-Combs Communications/Harris Interactive to be Presented at Out & Equal Workplace Summit in Orlando on Friday, September 13 Rochester, NY— September 12, 2002— Two out of five gay and lesbian adults in America’s workplaces report facing some form of hostility or harassment on the job, according to a new national study conducted by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive®. Moreover, almost one in ten gay and lesbian adults state they were fired or dismissed unfairly from a previous job or pressured to quit a job because of their sexual orientation. In addition, when over 2,000 Americans surveyed were asked which groups of people in society they perceive experience discrimination in the workplace, such as being fired, harassed or denied a promotion, almost three quarters (73%) answered ‘gays and lesbians’ – the second highest survey response, just behind ‘older adults aged 65 and older’ (78%). Other groups mentioned as vulnerable to workplace discrimination included ‘people with disabilities’ (68%), ‘women’ (65%), ‘African Americans’ (61%), ‘Hispanic Americans’ (60%), ‘Muslims’ (60%), ‘Asian Americans’ (44%) and ‘Jews’ (39%). The far-reaching online survey was commissioned by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a non-profit organization that provides support and advocacy for...
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...deserve the rights they are granted by the government. An upstanding citizen who pays their taxes, serves their community and abides by the law should be afforded the rights of an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples. One common problem that plagues gay and lesbian couples that are denied the right to marry is their inability to claim their partner’s social security after he or she has died. The Human Rights Campaign, which work to achieve equal rights for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people, is supporting the effort to attain survivor benefits for domesticate partners. They believe, “Any alteration to the Social Security system must include partners of gays and lesbians in its definition of survivor”(Survivor Benefits 1). Currently, there are no programs that give homosexuals survivor benefits like the ones that are provided for heterosexuals who are married or divorced. Gay and lesbian partners are not able to claim benefits of their deceased, regardless of the fact that all working...
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...Around the World we have always had a history of hate crimes based on national origin. In Germany it was the Holocaust and the hate towards Jewish people, here in America we’ve had a history of hate against African American people now it seems that hate towards other races such as Latinos and Middle Eastern races are becoming more apparent. It's also obvious that, while Americans are always in a hurry to close our most unpleasant chapters, unfortunately, anti-Semitism is alive and well in a lot of parts of our society, whether we like it or not. The fight for women’s rights in America started before the 1920s but big changes weren’t made until the 1960’s and 1970’s. The women's movement emerged as a political force later than the black civil rights movement, but today it is equally well entrenched. Sexism is widely seen as racism's counterpart. It’s only natural to include gender prejudice under the hate crime umbrella, especially in light of the extent to which women as a group are victimized by men. Crimes against women would seem to be the most obvious candidate for recognition as hate crime. However, the intent of the person committing the crime would need to be known before it could be determined if a man commits a sexual crime against a woman. In 1994, women reported approximately 500,000 rapes and sexual assaults, almost 500,000 robberies and 3.8 million assaults. The perpetrator was male in the vast majority of these offenses it is undetermined if any of these were considered...
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...Overview Workplace issues surrounding sexual orientation and preferences have become more and more prevalent in today’s workplace. Although many companies have adapted to modern day reality and have accepted this lifestyle, companies are not required by law to have rules and regulations in place that protect homosexuals from workplace dismissal based on sexual orientation information. The case involving the Boy Scouts of America and the United Way detailed in Managing Human Resources (pp 150) provides an excellent example of the ethical and realistic issues that can arise surrounding this now common lifestyle. James Dale prided himself on instilling self-reliance and leadership in children’s’ lives as an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). After 12 years, this veteran volunteer was expelled from the BSA after they learned that he was gay because of his sexual orientation. Though the boy scouts teach young men to stand up for what is right, they did not have any anti-discrimination laws intact to protect homosexual volunteers. Dale, instead, turned to rely on the courts for help. During the court case, the state court initially ruled that Dale should be able to return as a scoutmaster, indicating that one’s sexual orientation does not drive the ability to help the scouts, but the BSA did not accept this answer. Instead, the BSA turned to the Supreme Court to get permission to release Dale of his scoutmaster duties. The United Way had been involved...
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...Gay rights has a major impact on today’s society whether we choose to believe it or not; for or against. Gay rights are becoming one of the more controversial topics being discussed around the America today. Gay rights should be recognized, there are many factors of gay rights that Americans do not completely understand, while times are changing gay rights is evolving from state to state there are still issues yet to be resolved. Today I will discuss three key topics when it comes to gay rights; gay rights in schools, arguments for and against gay, rights and gay rights in adoption. Gay rights has been a controversial topic for quite some time now; in public schools all over north America that last couple decades gay rights has been opened up and discussed. Openly gay students are coming together in a safe haven, where without judgment they can come together and support each other with any difficulties they may be facing. “Gay-straight alliances are a form of social support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) high-school students that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These alliances are generally student-run social clubs akin to other high-school social groups, such as drama clubs, math teams, or yearbook clubs. However, one of the main purposes of gay-straight alliances is to provide support to LGBTQ students in difficult personal circumstances or in hostile school environments, and to advocate for LGBTQ students,” (Fetner, T...
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...deserve the rights they are granted by the government. An upstanding citizen who pays their taxes, serves their community and abides by the law should be afforded the rights of an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples. One common problem that plagues gay and lesbian couples that are denied the right to marry is their inability to claim their partner’s social security after he or she has died. The Human Rights Campaign, which work to achieve equal rights for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people, is supporting the effort to attain survivor benefits for domesticate partners. They believe, “Any alteration to the Social Security system must include partners of gays and lesbians in its definition of survivor”(Survivor Benefits 1). Currently, there are no programs that give homosexuals survivor benefits like the ones that are provided for heterosexuals who are married or divorced. Gay and lesbian partners are not able to claim benefits of their deceased, regardless of the fact that all working...
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...Quezon City Polytechnic University Batasan Satellite Campus Batasan Hills, Quezon City Research Paper in Symbolic Logic HOMOSEXUALITIES Submitted by Joann E. Buenavente Submitted to Prof. Fabian Avila I. Introduction Homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As an orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectionate, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex; "it also refers to an individual's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them." Homosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation, along with bisexuality and heterosexuality, within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum (with asexuality sometimes considered a fourth). Scientific and medical understanding is that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors,[1][3] especially with regard to early uterine environment. While there are those who still hold the view that homosexual activity is "unnatural" or "dysfunctional", research has shown that homosexuality is an example of natural variation in human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects. Prejudice and discrimination against homosexual and bisexual people...
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...Name Instructor Houston English 205 September 2, 2013 Gay in America In today’s society Gay men and women have to fight for everything, including the right to marry and have a baby. Gays face many challenges which include a job, a loved one, a family; the right to life, liberty and justice, all these rights are given to all but Gay people. I ask you; is this fair; are Gays not people to? Sometimes even before a gay person comes out they get teased, ridiculed, punished, assaulted and you wonder why some people try to hide it. For a Gay person it can be a constant struggle, just to live and be happy. Everything in a gay person life is a challenge, they must fight for everything. A person that is born has no choice on who they are or what sex they find attractive. Being gay is no different then being attracted to the opposite sex. ABC News reports, “Northwestern University psychology professor Michael Bailey has spent years studying human sexuality. He says sexual orientation is something people are born with, and this orientation makes some gay men more feminine” (1). Yet we blame and punish the families of these gay people. We even try to limit Gay people’s rights. Society believes that being gay is wrong and disgusting. Dr. Berggren claims that “It has long been asserted, primarily by various religious and politically conservative groups, that homosexuality is detrimental to the well-being of any society in which it occurs” (1). Being gay cannot...
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