Social policy and sexual identity

Attitudes towards homosexuality have changed over time.  Canada has come a long way from discounting homosexuality as deviant behaviour to accepting this lifestyle as part of the human innate identity.  With the growing awareness of this sexual identity social policies have been developed to accommodate such rising trend.  Despite all the hype about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer peoples being recognized and accepted, there are still various forms of discrimination that people of this sexual orientation face.  The inequalities are evident in all aspects of their everyday life: income, economic status, family dynamics and everyday struggle of feeling accepted in our society.  This discrepancy between the lives of straight peoples and those that identify as either gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer and belonging to the LGBTQ community is what I have looked to discuss through the eyes of those who share this lifestyle and are also affected by social policies.   

The way people’s attitudes have been affected in our society is partly due to media’s portrayal of the lifestyles of gay and lesbian persons.  Gay men and lesbians to some degree are portrayed as relatively wealthy, youthful, white, middle class and able-bodied (O’Neil, 2003, p. 132).  They are shown in movies and television shows as successful and well-educated.   We tend to be blinded by these stereotypes which lead us to make false assumptions.  Not everyone has the opportunity to thrive as a person who categorizes themselves belonging to LGBTQ group.  Our society has placed many barriers to prevent the ultimate fulfilment of one’s identity.  It is only up until 1973 that American Psychological Association (APA) thought of homosexuality as a mental disorder.  People who revealed themselves as gay were diagnosed as mentally ill and were often subjected to abusive and ineffective interventions aimed at changing their sexuality (O’Neil, 2003, p. 135).  Even though today gay persons have equal rights as straight persons, it is hard to escape the stereotype and other discriminating factors that have been imbedded in our way of thinking.

Today, various policies are put in place to recognise the acceptance of gay and lesbian people.  These policies have made a deep impact on our values and how we view peoples that consider themselves part of the LGBTQ community.  They have also given more freedom to those who identified as belonging to LGBTQ community to live openly.  Changes to the criminal code made in 1969 decriminalizing sexual acts between members of the same sex.  The recognition of equal rights of gay and lesbian under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has also been an important stepping stone to reduce the discrimination towards gay and lesbian peoples (O'Neil, 2003, p. 128).  It put services in place to benefit those struggling with their identity.  But, even with these services in place, gay and lesbian people are still limited in how far they can exercise their rights.  Some aspects such as applying for public housing have been almost impossible to attain (Hollinbaugh, 2001, p. 21).  Contrary to what media had us believe, gay, lesbians or bisexuals do not earn more than heterosexuals, nor do they live in more affluent households and current statistics show that gay men earn 12 percent less than similarly qualified straight men (Carpenter, 2008, p. 1239).


Social policy has enabled people who identify as gay and lesbian to rightfully and freely express their issues; however, the response to these issues has been slow.  There is still much to be done to empower people in the LGBTQ community.  However, policies are implemented on a macro level and give the generalization that all members of LGBTQ community are seen as equal to those who refer to themselves as straight.  This neutralization of the issue does not meet the needs of those who are personally affected by discrimination, lower incomes, bullying and poverty.    

Medina

References

Carpenter, Christopher S. (2008). Sexual orientation, work and income in Canada. Canadian Journal of      Economics, 41(4), 1239-1261.

Hollinbaugh, Amber. (2001). They are everywhere but we refuse to see them: Queers without money. Village Voice

O`Neil, B. (2003). Heterosexism: Shaping social policy in relation to gay men and lesbians.  In A. Westhues (ed.), Canadian social policy: Issues and perspectives (pp. 128-144) Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.