General Information
There are many stereotypes surrounding individuals that are members of the LGBTQ+ community:
- Stereotype: There has to be a more masculine and a more feminine person in a gay couple, someone to wear the pants --> This stems from the opinion of society that there has to be strict gender roles, especially in a relationship.
- Stereotype: Sexual orientation is a choice --> It is not. It is part of a person's identity and that person doesn't even need to put a label on it if they don't want to.
- Stereotype: Children are too young to questions their gender or sexuality --> They are not.
Check out these sources to learn more:
Stop calling it a choice. Biological factors drive homosexuality.
The Conversation Around Queerness and Christianity
Statistics of Violence:
- In 2013, 20.8% of all hate crimes were labeled in relation to sexual orientation.
- On June 24, 1973, an arsonist burned the Upstairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans, killing 32 people.
- Venus Xtravaganza, a transgender performer, was found murdered on December 25, 1988 and it was estimated that she had been dead for 4 days.
- James Zappalorti, a gay Vietnam veteranm, was stabbed to death in State Island, New York in 1990.
- On February 21, 1997, the Otherside Lounge, a lesbian nightclub in Atlanta, was bombed by Eric Robert Rudolph, the "Olympic Park Bomber". Five bar patrons were injured. In a statement released after he was sentenced to five consecutive life terms for his several bombings, Rudolph called homosexuality and "aberrant lifestyle".
- On December 16, 2019, an arsonist burned the drop-in office of SisTers PGH, a transgender resource center led by black and transgender people in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- On June 12, 2016, there was an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead and 53 wounded. The gunman, 29 year old Omar Masteen, was an American citizen who pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization ISIS in a 9-1-1 call he made about the attack. ISIS also claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident was the largest and deadliest act of violence targeting LGBT people.
How You Can Help
Familiarize yourself with the history of violence against LGBTQ+ people in the United States. As simple as it sounds, it all begins with understanding.