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LGBT CULTURE
LGBT Culture vs. Societies Controversial Opinions
Cassidy J. Roderick
CIS 110

LGBT CULTURE

Abstract:
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders are all apart of a culture that is called LGBT. This
culture combines these four sub-cultures. The group as a whole was brought together to help the
people in each sub-culture with their similar problems. They all have their own personal
problems and ways of dealing with them, but having people there that they can connect to is
something everyone needs. Most of the struggles that the people in the LGBT culture face are
due to societies controversial opinions and stereotypes. These stereotypes have lead to many
debates in recent news. Within the past ten years one of the biggest controversial issues was
whether same-sex marriage should be legal or not. Recently more and more states have been
legalizing the same-sex marriage. This paper is the discussion of the struggles of the people in
the LGBT culture, facts about the culture, and the different stereotypes that have made the group
what they are today.

LGBT CULTURE

LGBT Culture vs. Societies Controversial Opinions

Introduction:
When people hear the word homosexual there is an automatic opinion or stereotype that
comes to mind. These opinions and stereotypes were most likely formed at a very young age
when the person had first learned what the word homosexual even meant. These opinions have
caused multiple controversial issues and negative opinions in society throughout the years. The
word homosexual is what people use to refer to the LGBT culture. The LGBT culture includes
lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders. The opinions and controversies are about the group
as a whole, but there are also controversies and opinions about each subculture. The opinions and
controversies of the LGBT culture have changed drastically throughout the years and will
hopefully continue to change for the better in years to come.
Discussion:
For years one of the biggest controversial topics that many people have fought over is
whether anyone in the LGBT culture can choose to be who they are. There are arguments for
those who are for and against this subject matter. Many research studies have been done to find
the answer to this question. The majority of these studies involve the idea of the LGBT group
having a "gay-gene" or a genetic link to their homosexuality. In a specific research study done by
Harrub, Thomson, and Miller, they concluded that being homosexual is not something that is
genetic. They made the point that if homosexuality was genetic, then homosexuals would
eventually disappear completely due to the fact that homosexuals cannot reproduce together
(Harrub et al, 2014, p.1). During my personal research for a study proving the idea of a "gaygene", I found the common consensus is that there was no hard evidence that there is or isn't any
"gay-gene" or genetic relation to being homosexual. However after talking to my interviewees, I
still believe that even though there is no proof for the gene, they don't choose to be gay. During
one of my interviews, Ferguson made the point that people always say "you can't help whom
you're attracted to" (Ferguson, personal discussion). She brought up a good point. You cant
force yourself to like someone or not. You can force yourself to pretend, but not to actually care.
Who you're attracted to also defines whether someone is heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual.
Due to this I came to the understanding that even though the people in this culture may or may
not have a "gay-gene" they still do not get to decide if they are gay or not. It is something that
everyone associated with the LGBT group will say they are born with. This controversy has
caused a lot of issues between the people within the LGBT group and the rest of society,
specifically the people who believe they are choosing their lifestyle.

LGBT CULTURE

The LGBT culture is one that struggles with having to defend and stand up for oneself on
a daily basis. Along with the controversial idea of whether the LGBT group has a genetic
relation to their lifestyle, they also have to deal with the constant debate over their equality with
marriage rights. As of October 20, 2014 there are 32 states that have officially legalized samesex marriage along with Washington D.C. That leaves 18 states that have not yet legalized samesex marriage. Recently the Supreme Court refused to give their input on some lower-courts
rulings that had overturned the bans on same-sex marriage. (Governing.com, 2014, p.1) In effect
this allowed couples to wed in those states. Kansas and South Carolina will soon follow suit due
to being in this jurisdiction. The first state to legalize same-sex marriage was Massachusetts on
November 18, 2003. The first same-sex marriage was performed on May 17, 2004 (Gentry,
2014, p.1). During one of my interviews I had asked the question "Do you think gay marriage
affects straight people in anyway? How or how not?" The response I got back was "No, I don't
think it affects straight people. Why should it? Love is love"(Marshall, personal communication).
This opinion of Marshall's is one I am sure almost everyone in the LGBT culture would have to
agree with plus some whom arent connected to this culture personally. The idea of them having
the opportunity to marry whom they prefer shouldn't be a matter that others get to decide for
them. Homosexuals believe that same-sex marriage is equally as fair as opposite-sex marriage.
Most who say they are pro same-sex marriage would have the same opinion that Marshall did. It
doesnt affect the people against it in any way. They also believe by not being granted the right
to same-sex marriage that they are not being treated as equals. However those against same-sex
marriage tend to be against it due to their religious beliefs. The religious beliefs tend to end with
the phrase "the bible says it's wrong to be gay" or something within that nature. This creates an
even larger controversial issue due to the idea that not everyone is religious or has the same
religious views. This controversy is greatly discussed and debated between politicians, however
the LGBT culture also has a large voice on the matter.
Same-sex marriage is a very large battle that the LGBT culture has fought to earn for
many years now. One thing that the LGBT group does to stand up for their rights is have gay
pride marches. They had their first gay pride march in 1970. This march was held to
commemorate the stonewall riots that occurred in 1969. This was the first time the LGBT culture
really stood up for themselves and for their right to be treated as equals in our society (Gentry,
2014, p.1). Marches have evolved throughout their years and have become a very widely known
and attended to event. They are also very important to most people in the LGBT culture due to
the fact that they all just want their equality and this is a way for them to show that no matter

LGBT CULTURE
what they will stand up for what they believe in. These marches happen for the culture as a
whole, but each sub-culture also has their own marches or their own events that they hold in
support of equality for their own group and for their culture as a whole.

Figure 1: Gay pride flag, commonly displayed at gay pride marches.

Sub-culture Discussions:
Gays and Lesbians. Homosexuals are defined as a person who is attracted to another
person of the same gender. Even though they are defined this way, I learned that many
homosexuals struggle with the idea of them being considered gay or lesbian, so they have
relationships with people of the opposite sex. Many of the struggles that homosexuals deal with
before coming out revolve around wondering how their friends and family will react and if they
will be accepted. During my interview with someone who is homosexual, she told me how hard
it was for her to tell anyone, especially her family and friends. She feared telling anyone because
she thought that both her family and friends would not accept her. Sadly enough for her, this was
partially true. Her parents were not accepting of the idea of her being a lesbian at all. They tried
for months on end to change her, because they believed it was something she could choose to
change. They punished her as if she had done something wrong (Ferguson, personal
communication). I never thought a homosexuals parents would ever actually react in a negative
way towards them coming out. I always believed that was something that homosexuals just
feared. I thought parents would be accepting of their child who comes out, even if they were in
denial at first, because they always tell you to "be yourself" and they always seem to tell you
they will love you no matter what. After my interview with Ferguson, I soon realized that my
original idea that all parents would be accepting of their child was soon proven incorrect.
Most of the struggles a person who is considered homosexual deals with are the
inequalities that the whole culture deals with, their own struggles with accepting themselves, and
the struggle to know if the people around them accept them for who they are as well. I think the
lesbian/gay sub-culture is the most accepted sub-culture in the whole LGBT culture. However

LGBT CULTURE
they might be seen as the most accepted, they still arent accepted by everyone in todays
society.
Bisexuals. Bisexuals are known as a person who is attracted to someone of either the same or
opposite sex. This does not make sense to some people because they believe you can only be
attracted to one or the other. I personally had the same confusion at first before interviewing

someone who is considered to be a bisexual. When speaking with her we discussed mainly about
when she discovered she was into not only the opposite sex, but the same sex as well. On top of
that we also talked about how she felt when she figured out who she really is. She stated that she
didn't have a preference to men or women. Shes been with more men than she has women, but
currently she is in a relationship with a woman (Marshall, personal communication).
I came to realize that many people are more confused about the way a bisexual lives than they
way a homosexual lives. Some may even say that bisexual isnt even an actual way of life. The
people who believe this tend to believe it because they think they are just confused about
whether they are straight or homosexual. This however isnt true. Bisexuals exist just as a
heterosexual or homosexual does. They however have to deal with the judgments and struggles
that not only homosexuals must deal with, but also the stereotypes about how they just need to
make their decision on whether they are heterosexual or homosexual.
Transgenders. Transgenders are defined as people who identify as a different gender than they
were born. This means when a man identifies himself as a woman or vice versa. Transgenders
were the most confusing for me in the LGBT culture. It was the one I felt, I needed to learn the
most about. Some people believe that all transgenders are cross-dressers, and are considered
homosexual. However, this is not at all the case. Many transgenders don't cross-dress at all. A lot
of transgenders are in denial for a very long time, as where others will know all of their life.
After a person considered transgender finally accepts and realizes who they really are, they have
to decide how they want to go about these changes. Many will take hormones and go through
surgeries to finally look and like the gender that their brain associates their body with.
The transgender culture struggles with todays societies acceptance of them. In an
interview with Laverne Cox of Times Magazine, Cox tells her story of how she was bullied
when she was a young child. She proceeded to tell her story about how she became to be who
she is today. She was asked the question The people out there in America who have no idea
what being transgender means, what do they need to understand? Her response made me realize
how closed minded I was before. She brings up the fact that in our society today no one realizes
that there is more than one story of how a person comes to terms with their being trans. It isnt

LGBT CULTURE

something that is set and stone for them from day one. Everyone who goes through this has their
own problems and their own struggles. (Steinmetz 2014, p.1)
Conclusion:
LGBT As A Whole. Seeing the LGBT culture as a whole, you see all of their struggles
combined. Seeing how they all deal with their sexual orientation, and learning how to accept
themselves. They also deal with the struggle for everyone else to accept him or her once they
have come to terms with who they are. The culture itself brings people of all different subcultures together to help each other out in their similarities and their differences. It is also a way
for people who have things in common to communicate and get help with all of the problems and
struggles they have to face with their lifestyle. They also bring everyone together to stand up for
who they are and the way they live. Some ways they go about standing up for themselves and
their group is gay pride parades and fairs to teach people who want more insight about their
culture.

Figure 2: Stop stereotyping and get to know someone before judging them

LGBT CULTURE

Reference:
Gentry, S. (n.d.). American Experience: TV's most-watched history series. Retrieved October 18,
2014, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/stonewall/
Harrub, B., Thompson, B., & Miller, D. (n.d.). This is the Way God Made Me. Retrieved October 30,
2014.
Steinmetz, K. (2014, May 29). TIME Cover Story: Interview With Trans Icon Laverne Cox. Retrieved
October 18, 2014, from http://time.com/132769/transgender-orange-is-the-new-black-laverne-coxinterview/
Same Sex Marriage Map, State Laws List. (2014, October 20). Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/same-sex-marriage-civil-unions-doma-laws-by-state.html

K. Marshall, personal communication, Sept. 7, 2014

T. Ferguson, personal communication, Sept. 7, 2014