Jaylene Loubet

Professor Jennifer B. Rodrick

Queer Studies 115

08 December 2017

Space And Society: A Danger

When you hear the phrase LGBTQIA+ Community, it is the environment around them that

creates a negative impact upon their lives by conforming them within societies norms. The

environment is circling the LGBTQIA+ Community in which creates an area where they can feel

comfortable by accepting themselves within society. However, the fear of rejection and

discrimination causes them to feel that their identity is being rejected by society. Todays society

might have improved the respect of how the LGBTQIA+ Community and how they are being

treated and their equality. Even though, there have been advancements to the equal treatment of

the LGBTQIA+ Community these benefits create some black lash within the environment. Many

people have become inspired from the LGBTQIA+ Community and are still afraid of the

outcome if they do show their sexuality because of the negative space surrounding them.

Younger generations today faces the same struggles as the LGBTQIA+ Community did

years ago. The space surrounding them creates an unsecure environment in which they do not

feel comfortable or accepted enough to come out due to the fear of not being accepted. For

instance, The Full Spectrum, David Levithan and Billy Merrell states, I walked up the stairs, the

jock guys yelled, Wehmans a MAN and then laughed and pushed me against the wall as they

ran past (Levithan and Merrell 245). This type of environment is difficult to identify yourself

with people who are already started labeling to the discriminatory slurs or bullying them for
being part of the LGBTQIA+ Community. Especially, when you are at a young age people tend

to act more harsh and feel their actions are not wrong because of the space they are raised in. For

example, Composing Gender, Rachael Groner and John F. OHara discusses, For gender

variant, the tyranny of gender intrudes on every aspect of the spaces in which we live and

constrains the behaviors that we display (Groner and OHara 53). When children are raised in a

space they teach them to act in a certain way that limits their capacity to think in their society. A

person in the LGBTQIA+ Community see it as different perspective by not understanding how

they feel with people close to them. Not only children learn from their parents when they see

them using offensive slurs about the LGBTQIA+ Community. Clearly displaying how the space

around us can have a negative impact on not only ourselves but others as well.

Many people do not realize that old habits pass through generation to generations. Even

though they may not be to obvious, they are still present. This image displays the exact type of
misunderstanding that people believe when it came to the LGBTQIA+ Community. In many

cases, people believe that being gay or lesbian can be cured and that it is something that is picked

up like the flu. In the contrary, it is something that they are born with, something they grew up

feeling and it can not be cured. This poster portrays stereotypes and beliefs about the

LGBTQIA+ Community. This was something that would have been commonly posted up and

handed out to people. This type of action created a space in which people from the LGBTQIA+

Community did not feel safe to come out or have even believed that there was something

seriously wrong with them, when in reality there was not. These type of advertisements

developed a space in which parents raise their children to believe that being part of the

LGBTQIA+ Community is wrong and is not part of society's norms. Not only that, but even if

we do not see this type of advertisements today, the thoughts have not left and are still present

today. There are many people who believe that being in the LGBTQIA+ Community is wrong

and needs to be cured.

There are many cases where being part of the LGBTQIA+ Community is associated with

religion. Due to this reason, people use religion as an excuses to insult and discriminate against
people part of the LGBTQIA+ Community. When an environment like this is created around the

LGBTQIA+ Community, as a person, we feel a sense of guilt especially when they are a part of

religious household. This establishes a sense that what they feel is wrong which in turn forces

them to hide what they feel and are forced to become something that they are not. The image

above depicts what is constantly said and taught in a home that is religious and does not condone

this type of behavior. Being surrounded in such a negative environment that is created by images

and actions like the one on top would just create fear and paranoia for a person a part of the

LGBTQIA+ Community. The fear of being discovered and being treated worse eventually

becomes uncontrollable to the point where they can not live their live normally in which some

cases leads to depression and in some extreme cases suicide. Even though the treatment of the

LGBTQIA+ Community has evolved, it is all based on a foundation which has taken place when

it comes to enforcing equality to the entire LGBTQIA+ Community.

In todays society, there are laws that create equality for the LGBTQIA+ Community.

Although these new establishments may have opened a door for them people still face many

struggles. For instance, Despite Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Gay Adoption Rights Uncertain in

Some States, Rebecca Beitsch states The U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that made

same-sex marriage legal nationwide is changing that, but not everywhereparticularly in states

with laws that limit joint adoption to a husband and wife (Beitsch 1). When it comes to them

every positive comes with a negative. As an example, same sex marriage has created a new

inspiration for people from the LGBTQIA+ Community to come out because they finally are

able to be with the people they love and accept them. Although this becomes complicated when

they want to start a family. In many places people from the same sex are prohibited to adopt a
child. It seems that each time they take a step forward, they take another one back. This type of

restrictions clearly displays the sense that they are not given the full equality that they deserve.

Situations like this demonstrates how even if we try to make our space more positive there will

always be people who do not agree and will try to continue to spread negativity in the space

around them.

As the world develops so do the people around them because the space they are born in is

changing with time. Although there are still pieces that are left from past generations that come

back to influence some people. These types of influences are mainly directed to people who do

not fit under a certain criteria when being part of the LGBTQIA+ Community. For instance,

Kirsten E. Fricke in The Influence of Society on Queer Identity Development and Classification

stated, In addition, most of the models were constructed using White gay men as participants,

rendering the relevance to queer people of color, women, and transgender individuals as

questionable (Fricke 37). This demonstrates that even within these boundaries not everyone gets

treated fairly. A space like this further confines certain people to not openly establish their

sexuality. In order to create a space in which one feels safe to freely openly express who they are,

there needs to be no judgment and hatred. Although there are people who may not agree we can

support those who do not feel comfortable by creating a space in which they feel welcome and

are free to express themselves with others who are just like them.
 Work cited

Beitsch, Rebecca. Despite Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Gay Adoption Rights Uncertain in Some

States. The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Pew Charitable Trusts, 19 Aug. 2015,

www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/08/19/despite-same-se

x-marriage-ruling-gay-adoption-rights-uncertain-in-some-states.

Fricke, Kirsten E. The Influence of Society on Queer Identity Development and Classification.

The Vermont Connection, vol. 31, 2010, pp. 3745.

Groner, Rachel, and John F. O'Hara. Composing Gender: a Bedford Spotlight Reader.

Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014.

Https://Www.google.com/Url?Sa=i&Rct=j&q=&Esrc=s&Source=Images&Cd=&Cad=Rja&U

act=8&Ved=0ahUKEwilquPc8vvWAhUhqVQKHVBdAjsQjhwIBQ&Url=Https%3A%2F

%2Ftwitter.Com%2Fheretikradikal%2Fstatus%2F855380453725003776&Psig=AOvVa

w2kqE7RXyynWwCV05YE_pXW&Ust=1508475343569329.

Https://Www.google.com/Url?Sa=i&Rct=j&q=&Esrc=s&Source=Images&Cd=&Ved=0ahUK

EwjJt-nZ8fvWAhVKxFQKHZRN

A1cQjhwIBQ&Url=Https%3A%2F%2Fwww.Pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F5462726297714

46619%2F&Psig=AOvVaw1-

UxZ8Zc_WuPChGf0y8z8r&Ust=1508475075532574.

Levithan, David, and Billy Merrell. The Full Spectrum: a New Generation of Writing about Gay,

Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities. Ember, 2016.