National Coming Out Day was Sunday, October 11th, for many members of the LGBTTQQIAAP community, this was a memorable day. National Coming Out Day celebrates the many people of the LGBTQ+ community who have had the courage to come out to friends, family, and many more. But it also stands as a day for the people who are questioning, exploring, or not yet out. This day gives other role models in the queer community the chance to inspire people of all ages that this journey they are going through may not be easy, but it is worth discovering who you are.
For those of you who don’t know, LGBTTQQIAAP is the most recent form of the acronym standing for all members of the queer community. This stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally, and Pansexual. The LGBTQ+ community and the people in the community have faced many challenges over the years. It wasn’t until 2015 that same-sex marriage was made legal nationwide. After years and years of fighting for equal rights, the LGBTQ+ community had finally won a battle. However, just because the marriage is ‘technically’ legal, queer people are still facing hardships in this country to this day. In 2020 alone, there have been more transgender murders that have taken place than any other year.
The Human Rights Campaign says, “Sadly, 2020 has already seen at least 33 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent means, the majority of which were Black and Latinx transgender women. We say at least because too often these stories go unreported -- or misreported. Since HRC began tracking this data in 2013, advocates have never seen such a high number at this point in the year.”
As the number of offenses towards the LGBTQ+ community continues to rise, and the mistreatment in the work industry continues; the United States is going to see more of a rise from the allies and the members of the community rise up. The people of color involved in the LGBTQ+ community receive the harshest treatment from the government. Black and Latinx women or gender non-conforming people have a higher death rate in the U.S. more than anyone else in the LGBTQ+ community. Members of this community fear that the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett could further complicate or erase their civil rights. Justice Barrett replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the bench. In previous lower court decisions, Justice Barrett has spoken out about same-sex couple’s rights to marriage.
The coronavirus has played a negative and positive role in the LGBTQ+ community. For the questioning people in the world trying to figure out who they are in a time of isolation can be both empowering and dangerous. If an individual is struggling to come to terms with their sexuality in a conservative or abusive household, that can bring tensions with themselves that are dangerous. However, this time alone can allow those individuals to really focus on their own mental health, and who they are without the added distractions of others or extracurriculars.
If quarantine has been especially tough for you or a loved one please do not be afraid to reach out. Although the club is not in session as of right now because of coronavirus procedures, The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a club that runs through Watauga High School. Helping students find themselves and to love themselves and others regardless of sexuality or identification. Sponsor of GSA, Sean Sikes, speaks about what his goal was for working with the GSA and why it is important to reach out if you are struggling.
Mr. Sikes says, “We think it is an extremely important place for students to feel supported and safe on campus as well as to find others who share the same struggles and frustrations with living in a largely heterosexual and cis-gender normative society. We are not able to meet as a club currently due to safety concerns for some of our members who currently reside in situations that are not accepting/supportive of their path with sexuality/gender, but once meetings in person are allowed again, we would love to continue to encourage participation!”
Written by: The Powderhorn Staff
*note: all pictures featured in the article were taken pre-covid*
Sources:
https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2020
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