Acceptance and Equality of the LGBT Community by Lauren

Acceptance and Equality of the LGBT Community by Lauren - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I had to give a school-wide speech at my high school, I would choose to speak about acceptance and equality of the LGBT community. This is a very important idea to me and I would take every opportunity I had to bring awareness on the subject. Many student, especially at my school, are probably unaware of all the bullying by peers, oppression by families, and discrimination against many young (and old) members of the LGBT community, in many places.
I would start by speaking about how even though the world has become considerably more aware and accepting of the LGBT community in the past ten or so years, bullying is still a mayor problem in most schools. I attend a christian high school, and christians, though their values are supposed to be accepting and loving, can be very cruel and extremely discriminatory. Bullying of the LGBT community is so extreme in some places that student decide that killing themselves in the only escape. In most christian schools also, there is nowhere to turn for help against this bullying, because the teachers and authority figures agree with the students who are bullying and discriminating. This causes real problems and can make many young people afraid to come out and be happy as they truly are.
Next I would address how there are dangerous and oppressive conditions for young LGBT people within their own families. Christian families especially can be openly against the LGBT community, which makes it hard for their child to feel safe and comfortable coming out. In some cases, young people will come out to their family and the situation will become abusive or they may be cut off or disowned. I think it is important to understand that parents are to love and support their children no matter what.
Other than the bullying and discrimination in schools and families, there is a lot of negativity in the general community as well. Often, people who identify as LGBT are rejected from job positions, refused service in certain establishments. I think it would be important to address that, yes, establishments can refuse service to anyone, but it becomes discriminatory, and can sometimes even turn violent. Additionally, I believe it is wrong and unfair that there is little to no accurate representation of the LGBT community in media or television. Because of the growing presence and importance of media and television in today’s culture, and shaping the newer generations, it is important that there are positive role models for everyone.
To conclude my speech, I would say that we need to be attentive, respectful, and helpful to the LGBT community. We need to be more aware and supportive to our LGBT peers, and not bully or discriminate against them, because we are all human and deserve to be treated equally and with love. It is very important to have supportive peers, encouraging authority figures, and positive role models.