People are different in many dimensions. Some of these dimensions include age, race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation among others. While society continues to embrace the growing diversity, it is clear that integrating certain differences still faces significant resistance. Lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people constitute one of the groups that still face rejection in the modern society (Woods 126). They face disadvantages in terms of employment opportunities, workplace equality and fairness, poverty, and justice among others. While opponents of LGBT feel that there are reasons to justify the maltreatment rendered against members of this community, it is clear that these behaviors and sentiments are self-defeating in a society that values and cherishes diversity, fairness, and equal treatment regardless of the prevailing differences, be it gender or sexual orientation.
Members of the LGBT community still face discrimination in different realms, which is certainly unfair. Gaynor outlines instances in which government, in recent years, has spearheaded efforts of discriminating against members of the LGBT community (12). Several attempts to bar transgender sailors and soldiers from working in the military has been documented in the recent past. President Trump's administration has been at the forefront in banning transgender men and women from serving in the military, as their presence in the service is deemed distracting. The requirement that transgender people serve in their birth genders is wrong. It defeats the strides that have been made towards equality and enjoyment of freedom and civil liberty. Identification as a member of the LGBT or otherwise is not a crime. Freedom of identification and expression are ingrained rights in the constitution (Gaynor 13). Therefore, it is unconstitutional to either force transgender people to serve in their birth genders or not to serve at all.
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There has been a lot of victimization of transgender people in the criminal justice system. Woods (2018) documents the apparent victimization of members of the LGBT as far as crime is concerned. Before the mid-1970s, members of the LGBT community were defined as deviant sex offenders (Woods 130). However, several milestones occurred beginning from the mid-1970s, including decriminalization of homosexuality as a deviant sex offense. Regardless of these milestones, LGBT people still face severe challenges and inequalities in the criminal justice system (Woods 129). First, there is an overrepresentation of LGBT youth in foster care and in juvenile detention. There is little study as to the cause of increased LGBT criminalization. No studies point out why members of the LGBT community are considered more of criminals than offenders. What is clear is that most of these people are just but victims of hate crime and that the law does very little to protect them.
Members of the LGBT community are just but ordinary people. They have rights just like the rest of the population. They are citizens just like the rest of the people. Their discrimination across various sectors including the military is not justified. There are no moral grounds to deny them their rights and freedoms just because they seem to fall out of the mainstream societal expectations (Gaynor 13). Discriminating against them is self-defeating as far as proclamation of universal quality is concerned. Criminal justice must work to defend people equally regardless of whether they are straight or gay or male or female. The essence of the law is founded on the basic principles of equality (Woods 131). The society must continue to change its perception on LGBT and recognize members of this group as part of the community.
In conclusion, great strides have been made since the mid-1970s as far as protecting the rights of the LGBT people is concerned. Certain threats have emerged in the recent past, and it has become apparent that some of the most important milestones are being reverse-engineered. Members of the LGBT are just like ordinary people with rights to enjoy. The decision of whom to love is simply an individual matter and must never be applied as an excuse to trample on important rights and freedoms.
Works Cited
- Gaynor, J. L. Trump Continues Assault on LGBT Rights. Out in Jersey. February/March, 2019.
- Woods, Jordan Blair. 'LGBT identity and crime.'
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