The LGBTQ+ Community as a Subculture

1- A woman by the name of Samantha Reynolds is someone considered to be

knowledgeable about the LGBTQ+ community. Samantha is a 36-year-old female who
has been married to another woman named Tina for 8 years come this august, hoping
for many more wonderful years to come. She and her wife have been proud members
of the LGBTQ+ community for about 17 years.
2- Samantha discovered gay, or rather lesbian, subculture through one of her gay
friends shortly after she came out as a lesbian. She stated in an interview, "I joined the
community when I first came out as a lesbian; they were the only ones who were really
accepting at the time. I felt alone and I need a space where I could feel comfortable."
She hadnt told anyone how she felt about her sexual orientation until the age of
nineteen; however, she had a deeper understanding of her sexuality from a much
younger age. Samantha said, Being raised very religious made coming out as a lesbian
very difficult for me. Ive known since I was very young that I didnt like the opposite sex,
but that was confusing for me. After a long time, Samantha Reynolds found the support
she needed, along with a greater understanding of herself from the experiences she
gained from celebrating her sexuality with others within the LGBTQ+ community.
3- The subculture of the LGBTQ+ community refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, as well as queer or others questioning gender. With what began in the
1970's, the LGBTQ+ community has continued to grow, adding and changing with
various terms throughout the many years in which this community has struggled to
thrive.

LGBTQ+ is known for pride parades and the plethora of social support organizations
offered to individuals seeking guidance and support throughout their process of coming
out, as well helping individuals succeed within a society that is not always supportive of
the LGBTQ+ community. Celebrations of pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality
occur annually worldwide. The most recognized symbol for the LGBTQ+ community is
the infamous rainbow flag, as members of the LGBTQ+ community are commonly
referred to as members of the Rainbow Community (ok2beme.ca).
With that being said, there are many flags that symbolize different parts, or
sanctions of the LGBTQ+. For example, there is a bisexual flag that only has pink,
purple, and blue stripes while the LGBTQ+ community flag encompasses much more.
Similarly, there is also a flag that represents asexuality that has black, grey, white, and
purple stripes (unclosetedwordpress.com). The specific flags become important to
individuals who are members of each sanction, if you will, of the community.
This subculture has helped many individuals struggling with their identity along
with their sexual orientation. As a result of this, the LGBTQ+ community has grown
widely popular in the United States along with many other countries and is still
continuing to grow and gaining support worldwide.
4- The more people began identifying themselves with the LGBTQ+ sexual
orientation, the more government issues begin to occur focusing on what is socially
acceptable concerning the individuals of this community. One issue remains focused on
LGBTQ+ rights, that being the right to express sexual orientation and freedom to marry
same-sex partners while maintaining equal rights in a court of law in comparison to
those active in heterosexual marriages. Many people all around the world do not

understand or do not like the LGBTQ+ or gay rights in general, mainly due to existing
societal standards as well as religious conflict, as Samantha had mentioned concerning
her difficulty coming out to a very religious family.
Some people discriminate and commit hate crimes because of this unfortunate
reality. In fact, in 2014 the FBI reported that 20% of hate crimes were committed due to
victims sexual orientation, 61% of these attacks were on gay men (aclu.org).
Perhaps one can understand why the LGBTQ+ community has been so
important for these people over the years. The community and many others came
together to provide one another support long before the LGBTQ+ community was
recognized; people had been fighting for gay rights for years in hopes of gaining social
equality amongst the masses.
After a long battle over LGBTQ+ rights, in 2015 same-sex couples were finally
granted the right to marry in all 50 states within of the United States of America. Also to
further support, in 2014 President Barack Obama issued new rules to hospitals stating
that lesbian and/or gay partners deserved the right to have medical decision-making
privileges and have designees such as widows or widowers (nytimes.com). This was
considered a deserved win for the LGBTQ+ community, and very long awaited.
Following the legalization of gay marriage, churches started having new policies
on LGBTQ+. Many that may seem surprising considering the recent feat accomplished
for the LGBTQ+ community. For instance, in 2015 the LDS Church came out with a new
policy that excommunicated gays and the children of gays from the Church of Later Day
Saints (nytimes.com). This caused a huge divide within the community of the LDS

Church; crowds of people protested and decided to disaffiliate from the Church entirely.
Additionally, this lead to multiple people changing their religion, rethinking their Mormon
beliefs and values. On the flip side, many people have suffered internal battles due to
suppressing their sexual orientation to remain with their family. Government issues
relating to the LGBTQ+ community have been an ongoing argument.
5- With the LGBTQ+ issues being put in the spotlight, countless artists from
various genres have made pieces that show their opinion on the matter, which remains
controversial within the media. While there have been numerous pieces of music
influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, the song Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis (ft. Mary Lambert) gives a new, yet insightful perspective on many gay
stereotypes.
This song shows the struggle that LGBTQ+s members have to deal with
throughout their lives, exposing the pain they have suffered. For example, when Mary
Lambert starts singing, I cant change even if I tried, even if I wanted to. She is telling
people that being a lesbian is something she was born with, that she likes the way she
is. That it cannot be something she can change.
Also, when Macklemore says,
A culture founded from oppression, yet we dont have acceptance for em, call each
other faggots behind the keys of a message board, a word so rooted in hate, yet our
genre still ignores it.
He is explaining how people are being hypocritical in the way that the United States
preach freedom for everyone, but are discriminating towards the LGBTQ+. Additionally,

he talks about how people say these extremely offensive things with ease because it
has become so common to ridicule people that are different, rather than reflecting on
how their behavior could potentially affect someone. The impact of the various artist
being pro-LGBTQ+ and speaking their mind on this matter has led to a better
understanding of people with different sexual preferences within society as a whole.

6- References:

"What Does LGBTQ Mean? | OK2BME." OK2BME. N.p., n.d. Web. July 2016.
"CenterLink." Centerlink Mission Statement Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender
Community Centers. N.p., n.d. Web. July 2016.
"LGBT Pride Flags and Symbols." Uncloseted. N.p., 2013. Web. July 2016.
"LGBT Rights." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. July 2016.
Michael. "Obama Extends Marriage Benefits to Gay Couples." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 2014. Web. July 2016.
Goodstein, Laurie. "Mormons Sharpen Stand Against Same-Sex Marriage." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 2015. Web. July 2016.

7- This paper was revised with the assistance of www.grammarly.com