Gomez 1 David Gomez John Kubler English 114B 1 April 2014 Project Text Essay: Rights for LGBT

Persons Today there is a big issue concerning LGBT persons, and if they deserve the same rights as normatively gendered people. This was not as big of a problem in the late 1900s, but today many people are coming out and telling the truth about who they really are which forces people to question whether or not the deserve the same rights as heterosexuals. LGBT persons are looks down upon because they are different than what they are used to seeing. Some individuals do not think that LGBT persons deserve the same rights as people who are normatively gendered although there are some who disagree and believe they do deserve the same rights. Persepolis 2 shows that we should be more accepting of homosexuals rather looking down upon them and treating them differently. Many states are producing laws that make sure non-heterosexuals are treated fairly. These laws include giving gay/lesbian people right to marriage, and giving transgender persons the choice of public facilities. People think that bisexuals should not be considered a sexual orientation, but not allowing people to claim that they are bisexual takes away their right to choose their sexual orientation. LGBT persons should have the same rights as those who are normatively gendered because everyone deserves to be treated equally no matter what their sexual orientation is. Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi, graphic novelist and illustrator, relates to the topic of LGBT persons. Marjane has two encounters with people who are homosexual. Both times Marjane accepted them rather than look down on them for being different. Her first encounter was when Marjane moved into a new house and she found out that her eight housemates were all homosexuals(Satrapi 44). All of her roommates were homosexual yet she learned how to live with it rather than refusing to live with them. She treated them as if

Gomez 2 there was nothing different about them. Marjanes mother was shocked when she found out that Marjane was living with eight guys who were all homosexual, but she treated them no differently. Marjanes second encounter was when she was hanging out with her boyfriend, Enrique, and he said, Here it is: I think I Im gay(Satrapi 60). At first Marjane was mad because she thought that he was the one. Although she did not want to, she accepted that he was gay and told him that she is happy for him. This book supports anyone who is homosexual and it shows that people will accept you no matter what sexual orientation you are. This world would be a better place if it were more accepting of LGBT persons. There is a popular YouTube channel called Kids react, which is filmed by Fine Brothers productions, where kids are asked questions about certain topics. One of their videos is called Kids react to gay marriage where the kids give their opinions on gay marriage. A boy was asked if he thought gay/lesbian people had the right to marry and he responded by saying, If one person should be able to do something (marriage) than everyone should be able to do it(Fine Brothers 7:01). There is no reason to exclude gay people from being married. Excluding them from being married is ultimately taking their right of happiness. Just because one has negative views towards non-heterosexuals does not mean that should be against them being happy. Many of the kids had positive views towards gay marriage. One girl who was around seven years old responded to gay marriage by saying, If you really like that person you should be with that person(Fine Brothers 6:26). Marriage is meant for two people who love each other and it is a right everyone deserves, not just heterosexuals. The only people that have problems with gay people being married is the older generation, because when they were little being gay was not as common. This video shows that our younger generation will be more accepting of gay rights, such as marriage. It is hard to understand why people are so opposed to gay marriage, because in the end its just two people who love each and they want to express their love by being married. Marriage is a right that LGBT persons deserve as much as heterosexuals. Brandon Brice, political commentator on fox news, talks about the issue of transgender rights and how

Gomez 3 California state lawmakers have approved a bill which permits public K-12 schools to allow transgender students who feel like they belong in the opposite sex to choose which restrooms and locker-rooms they use(Brice 1). This law allows transgender children and teens to be comfortable in their school surroundings without being looked at differently. It allows them to choose which public facility best suits them. Kids will now be able to go into school knowing that they will be accepted for who they are. Brice mentions that supporters of the bill believe that it will help protect young students from bullying, teasing and mental abuse(Brice 1). Bullying happens in schools mainly for kids being different, so if more schools pass bills that approve of people being different than maybe that will decrease the number of people who are bullied. If schools show that they accept anyone no matter what sexual orientation, maybe that will influence the students to care for each individual. This bill will teach younger kids that they will not be judged differently because they are transgender; rather they will be accepted and appreciated. Bisexual is sometimes not thought of as a sexual orientation, but not considering it as a sexual orientation is taking a certain right away from people who are bisexual. The right to choose any sexual orientation that you feel most comfortable with. Dr. Mackey Friedman, leader of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, said at a press release conference that he made some startling revelations about the prejudice, stigma and discrimination the bisexual community faces(Huffpost). People are taking the right to choose sexuality away from bisexuals. Bisexuals are being discriminated against and are being forced to choose a sexual orientation that they do not want to be. Friedman gave out an online 33 question survey to about 1500 adults in which overall, respondents were generally negative in terms of their attitudes toward bisexual men and women, with almost 15 percent of the sample in disagreement that bisexuality is a legitimate sexual orientation(Huffpost). Friedman took the results from the survey and came to a conclusion that people not believing that bisexual is not a gender is forcing people who are bisexual to become depressed which leads to more negative health outcomes. Everyone should have the right to choose his or her sexual

Gomez 4 orientation. We should be accepting people for who they want to be rather than forcing them to be something they are not. I agree that LGBT persons deserve the same rights as people who are normatively gendered. I was brought up as a strong catholic and I definitely stand by the values that I was taught, but I have learned to accept others and treat each individual with respect no matter what sexual orientation they hold. Growing up I believed that relationships should always be between a man and a woman, but now having done research, watching the kids react video, and actually having the chance to meet people who are LGBT I have noticed there are many people who are attracted to the same sex or even both. We need to be more accepting of who they are, because times are changing which means people are going to change as well. We have to learn to tolerate these people for who they rather than try to take certain rights away from them. I do not care about peoples sexual orientation because it is their life and I am in no position to tell them they cannot do something. Even though some people agree with LGBT rights there are the naysayers. There are people out there who are against gay people being married, but marriage is a right that everyone deserves no matter what sexual orientation you are. It should not matter whether you are marrying the same sex or the opposite sex, because holy matrimony is about being with someone you love for the rest of your life. Parents argue that allowing grade-schoolers and teens the right to choose which bathroom and locker room is a terrible law because a boy or a girl can say they are the other gender just so they can go into the opposite bathroom. Obviously every law is going to have its pros and cons, but we have to trust that people will make the right decision and not abuse this law. It was strange to find out that some people believe that bisexual should not be considered a gender. There is nothing wrong with being attracted to both sexes. There is no reason to force someone to choose a sexual orientation, because we need to accept the fact that it is ok to be attracted to both sexes. Sexual orientation should not determine what rights a person gets, because we all deserve to be treated

Gomez 5 equally. Hopefully in the up coming years more people will be more accepting of LGBT persons. People should not be looked at differently because they are not normatively gendered. We deserve to have our own beliefs, but we are not obligated to take rights away from certain people for any reason. It is better to encourage others to be their true selves rather than force them to be something they are not. Although they are different LGBT deserve the same rights as people who are normatively gendered. We as individuals must accept people for who they are on the inside rather than taking their rights away because of their sexual orientation.

Gomez 6 Works Cited Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2. Princeton, NJ: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2008. Print. Unkown. "Bisexuality Not Deemed A 'Legitimate Sexual Orientation' By Heterosexual Men, Women: University Of Pittsburgh Study." Huffpost Gay Voices. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Web. 26 March 2014. Brice, Brandon. Californias K-12 transgender bathroom bill sparks war on privacy rights. Communities.washingtontimes. The Washington Times, LLC. Web. 26 March 2014. The Fine Brothers. Kids react to gay marriage. Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 3 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 March. 2013.