How can we make a safer environment for LGBT in the future?

Introduction

As we all are celebrating pride month, let us all pledge that we will make a more comfortable and accepting environment for LGBT community.

We need to protect the LGBT community, as it’s a very imminent and an essential part of our society. We cannot grow and develop as a society until and unless, we take a collective step towards accepting them and for their betterment. Here are some of my suggestions on how we can improve our perspective and be more tolerant towards a community.

1. Compulsory education on homosexuality and LGBT community to children from school level should be provided, so that we can curb down the insults and abuses they face on daily basis. We can mould children’s mind easily, so we should use this opportunity in making them more respectful towards LGBT community.
2. Provide employment to this community. Ever thought why we only find transgenders begging on traffic signals and not in a more respected occupation? The answer lies within us. We don’t give them opportunities to prove themselves and they are forced to beg or indulge in prostitution for their living.
3. Take discrimination cases to the courts. If homosexuals and transgenders will live in countries that will guarantee them constitutional rights and human rights, then use the courts to challenge discriminatory laws and policies will be easier and more effective. Winning each case will make the next one easier.
4. Give the media an opportunity to report the issues and hold a public to debate. It will give an inspiration to people who are afraid to express their orientation or gender, and will also help people in getting over their homophobia. Once the people will hear the oppression and discrimination that LGBT community goes through, it will increase their sympathy.
5.  Use TV and films to change hearts and minds. Cinema is one of the biggest entertainment and awareness source available today. We all know that media advocacy is an effective tool to reach mass audiences and grow acceptance.
6.  Stop the violence everywhere. Our priority this year should be to save and protect LGBT community. To eradicate violence, we need to collaborate with other social justice movements, because ultimately what we want is to change, is the culture in our country.
7. Celebrate and appreciate activists and NGOs who work towards this community. The global LGBT community has grown enormously over the last 3 decades, tens of thousands of people around the world work hard every day to change their respective local and national communities and their family’s perception every day, and this change is becoming more and more real. To credit the work of all these activists can be also an effective way to progress our rights.

Violence against LGBT in different parts of the world

There were 2,000 incidents of anti-LGBT hate violence in 2012. In the past, there were at least 7 anti-LGBT attacks in New York City alone. In our society LGBT people are treated as a taboo and no one here is ready to accept the truth that some people have a different choice. The people who do not follow the nature and choose a different way are humiliated. In India most people do not have the knowledge about LGBT community, so they think that it’s an illness.

Currently, homosexual acts are legal in almost all Western countries, and in many of these countries violence against LGBT people is classified as a hate crime, with such violence being often connected with conservative or religious ideologies, which condemn homosexuality.

Compared with other students, negative attitudes towards LGBT people may put youth at increased risk for experiences with violence. ‘Violence’ can include behaviors such as bullying, teasing, harassment, and physical assault. According to data from the 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), of surveyed LGBT students:

• 10% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property
• 34% were bullied on school property
• 28% were bullied electronically
• 23% of LGBT students who had dated or went out with someone during the 12 months before the survey had experienced sexual dating violence in the prior year
• 18% of LGBT students had experienced physical dating violence
• 18% of LGBT students had been forced to have sexual intercourse at some point in their lives.

Conclusion

Finally I would like to say that let us come together and celebrate their diversity, otherwise they will continue to suffer inhuman exploitation, with no fault of their. We need to acknowledge the fact that the nature has nourished them with different needs and orientation and we as human beings must respect that.