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Cultural Diversity and Global Awareness Assignment

Social Diversity Interview Paper

Callie L. Riley

Sinclair Community College

Psychology 1100-510

Professor Boone

April 10, 2022

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Research on the LGBTQ+ Community

In the United States, the lives of people in the LGBTQ+ community look different than

those not a part of it. The LGBTQ+ community includes those who identify as lesbian, gay,

bisexual, transgender, queer, or other sexualities other than straight. Due to discrimination and

harrassment, these individuals that identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community are at a higher

risk for suicide and other mental health problems. They experience discrimination in the

workplace, social settings, and in medical settings. In the workplace, these individuals

experience harrassment from coworkers and customers, discrimination between them and their

heterosexual counterparts. In social settings, they may be refused service because of their

sexuality. Because of this, up to 50% of LGBTQ+ individuals have suicidal thoughts and ideas.

As well as this, individuals who identify as a part of this community are much more likely to

attempt suicide compared to heterosexual individuals (Peterson).

In Canada, the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals are not much different than

those in the United States. Bullying, discrimination, victimization, and violence are strong

contributors to LGBTQ+ individuals’ health problems. In the LGBTQ+ youth in Canada, these

biases are started young through bullying and harassment in the school setting. Some youth have

even reported not choosing to go somewhere after school or in public in fear of experiencing

these biases and harassment in more places than just school. Furthermore, as a result of all of this

negative ideology towards LGBTQ+ individuals, they miss out on opportunities and activities.

Between the United States and other countries, LGBTQ+ opportunities, experiences, and mental

health are very similar (Gower).

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Interview Summary

For this interview, I chose to interview my friend Oliver York, who has been openly apart

of the LGBTQ+ community for four years. We have been friends for seven years, and watching

him come out as a gay male has been great. He has not always been a part of the LGBTQ+

community. In fact, Oliver is relatively new to it. Even though he is new to it, Oliver still has

experienced harassment and bullying online and at school. He has received death threats, mean

messages, and rude comments that include vulgar terms. From his experiences and the

experiences of his friends that are a part of the LGBTQ+ communities, Oliver described the

characteristics associated with LGBTQ+ individuals as “mentally ill, dumb, weak, and inferior.”

When I asked him if there are advantages or disadvantages to being a part of this social group,

Oliver said that there are many disadvantages. This includes being looked down upon by

classmates, harassed in school and on social media, and discriminated against in the workplace.

However he has also found that there are many advantages as well, such as being able to learn

about more cultures and becoming more accepting of everyone. He wants people to know that

“People a part of my community are really not much different than everyone else. I just hope that

one day everyone in the world will see us as equals and understand that we are no different from

them.”
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Personal Reflection

After doing research and interviewing my friend to learn more about the LGBTQ+

community, I can say that I have learned a lot. I have never really done any research or learned

much about this social group, so this really has made me more aware of the struggles these

individuals go through on a daily basis, even my own friends. Making sure everyone I come

across is treated fairly by me is very important, but now after learning more about the

harassment, discrimation, and violence LGBTQ+ individuals go through, I will try extra hard to

treat them with kindness. I feel more compassionately about bringing equality to my LGBTQ+

friends, and I want to make sure they feel comfortable in all situations if I can. I never really

understood how rough daily life can be for them, so learning more about these issues has really

opened my eyes to their side of the world.

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References

Gower, A. L., Valdez, C. A. B., Watson, R. J., Eisenberg, M. E., Mehus, C. J., Saewyc, E. M.,

Corliss, H. L., Sullivan, R., & Porta, C. M. (2021). First- and Second-Hand Experiences

of Enacted Stigma among LGBTQ Youth. Journal of School Nursing, 37(3), 185–194.

Peterson, A. L., Bender, A. M., Sullivan, B., & Karver, M. S. (2021). Ambient discrimination,

victimization, and suicidality in a non-probability US sample of LGBTQ adults. Archives

of Sexual Behavior, 50(3), 1003–1014. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01888-4