Homophobia revised

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Homophobia
Prejudice and hate against gay people remain a thorny issue in today’s world. This problem also known as homophobia has adversely affected the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. Homophobia arises primarily because some individuals will always be against other people’s lifestyles. Such individuals can express their homophobia directly by using homophobic slurs, insults, and intimidation or indirectly by giving LGBT people the cold shoulder (O’Brien and McEvoy 4). Either way, homophobia is a critical problem as it results in hatred, which further divides people within the already diverse society.
The leading solution to this problem is for people to start acknowledging or learning that it is impossible to change someone’s life decisions. This approach is possible through numerous ways. Firstly, schools and other learning institutions should continue educating people about the importance and need to accept diversity in the contemporary world (Burns 35). Secondly, members of the LGBT community should also receive education, which will help them understand their rights and consequently, deal with discrimination (Burns 36). Thirdly, there should be an inclusive and supportive environment, where LGBT individuals feel that they are of significant value and have an avenue to address their problems (O’Brien and McEvoy 6). Therefore, there need to be sound policies, which can tackle homophobia directly.
A couple of years ago, governments began to show more support to the LGBT community, as a way to counter homophobia.

For example, in 2000, the Irish government enacted the Equal Status Act, prohibiting the nation’s youth sector from discriminating young people based on gender and sexual orientation (O’Brien and McEvoy 4). Similarly, in 2016, the UK administration stated that it planned to increase funding to programs meant to fight homophobia in all learning institutions (Burns 36). However, acknowledging or learning to live with LGBT people is not that straightforward since most people do not understand homosexuality or perceive it to be an anomaly (Williams 1). For example, family members, friends and colleagues of LGBT people still show a lack of support and this is evident through the existence of homophobic language. In particular, today’s youth have made the word ‘gay’ a common slang referring to immoral, strange or wrong. For this reason, homosexuality is now linked to negative things and makes LGBT people question their choices.
Consistent encouragement and education of people on the society’s diversity are necessary to address homophobia across the different spheres of life (O’Brien and McEvoy 9). This approach implies that patience and willingness to help are essential for those who are yet to understand homosexuality. The society should acknowledge why such individuals have an unfavorable view of homosexuality and take every opportunity to address this. Without such a step, homophobia will remain a thorny issue in the society with serious implications. Some of the consequences include vulnerability and isolation. Most LGBT people become aware of their sexual orientation at the start of their teenage hood (age 12), a period where they are most vulnerable and isolated. What is worse, homophobia makes these individuals afraid or not willing to reveal their sexual identity, and this poses additional challenges like self-harm, suicide thoughts and so forth (O’Brien and McEvoy 5). Therefore, the best solution to homophobia remains the need to acknowledge and learn the existence and importance of diversity continuously. Homophobia is not the best way to deal with people of different backgrounds.
Bibliography
Aguinaldo, Jeffrey P. “The Social Construction of Gay Oppression as a Determinant of Gay Men’s Health: ‘Homophobia is Killing Us’.” Critical Public Health 18.1 (2008): 87-96. Research Gate. 3 January 2018. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233248098_
Burns, Adam. “Are LGBT Schools the Solution to Homophobic Bullying in Britain’s Schools?” The Bridge: Journal of Educational Research-Informed Practice 3.2 (2016): 35-43. 3 January 2018. https://journaleducationalresearchinformedpractice.files.wordpress.com/
Hull, Shawnika J., et al. “Evaluation of the Acceptance Journeys Social Marketing Campaign to Reduce Homophobia.” American Journal of Public Health 107.1 (2017): 173-179. 3 Pub Med. 3 January 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27854527
O’Brien, Carol-Anne, and Olivia McEvoy. Addressing Homophobia Guidelines for the Youth Sector in Ireland. Dublin: BeLonG To Youth Services, 2010.
Peters, Wendy. “Bullies and Blackmail: Finding Homophobia in the Closet on Teen TV.” Sexuality & Culture 20.3 (2016): 486-503. Springer. 3 January 2018. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-016-9336-3
Poteat, V. Paul, Ian Rivers, and Olivier Vecho. “The Role of Peers in Predicting Students’ Homophobic Behavior: Effects of Peer Aggression, Prejudice, and Sexual Orientation Identity Importance.” School Psychology Review 44.4 (2015): 391-406. NASP Journals. 3 January 2018. http://naspjournals.org/doi/abs/10.17105/spr-15-0037.1?code=naps-site
Roulet, Thomas and Stenger, Sebastien. “What a Study of French Auditors Shows About Homophobia at Work.” Harvard Business Reviews Digital Articles (2017): 2-5. Harvard Business Review. 3 January 2018. https://hbr.org/2017/03/what-a-study-of-french-auditors-shows-about-homophobia-at-work
Standing, Edmund. “Homophobia and the Postmodern Condition.” Theology & Sexuality 10.2 (2004): 65-72. SAGE Journals. 3 January 2018. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/135583580401000206
Williams, Rachel. “Being Gay at School Remains Difficult for Teachers.” The Guardian. 26 November 2012. 3 January 2018.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/nov/26/gay-teachers-homophobia-stonewall-research