Soon after the civil rights movement
to outlaw racial discrimination, the push to acknowledge gay rights surfaced in
the public eye. The riot occurring at Stonewall Inn, initiated the turning
point for gay liberation. During the gay liberation movement in the 1970’s many
political groups and national organizations formed, including the National
Organization for Women. In addition, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
and the Human Rights Campaign expanded the acceptance of LGBT populations
through political actions. Later in the 1980’s, gay rights protest and marches took
place to bring awareness of inequality and support gay rights. It wasn't until the
end of the 21st century until same-sex civil unions were recognized,
along with the acceptance of same-sex marriages among certain states, with
Massachusetts being the first.
The federal government first
acknowledged health issues of the LGBT population in the 2000. The Coalition was
made up of 65 organizations who advocated for the need to include LGBT health
issues in Healthy People 2010
objectives. The goals of the LGBT Coalition were as followed; to increase
knowledge regarding LGBT health status and access to utilization of health
care, to increase LGBT participation in the formation of public and private
sector policy regarding health and related issues, to increase availability of,
access to, and quality of physical, mental, and behavioral health and related service
for the LGBT population, to increase professional and cultural competencies of
providers and other engaged in health and social service delivery to the LGBT
population, and finally to eliminate disparities in health outcomes of LGBT
populations. With increased recognition of addressing the needs of the LGBT
populations, the coalition successfully brought awareness regarding the means
of equality for all populations. The LGBT Coalition has worked side by side
with the Presidential Transition Team to discuss guidelines and policies to
ensure the inclusion of LGBT concerns at all levels of the health care reform
process.
Though LBGT populations and
communities have gained more acceptance and support than ever before many
issues regarding equal rights among these populations still exist. When
focusing on health, a widespread of issues occurs due to the lack of LGBT sensitive
and competent treatment providers. The LGBT Coalition is currently working with
the U.S. Government of Health and Human Services to develop a curriculum to
train staff and healthcare professional how to practice with cultural competency
when working with the LGBT community. Actions and initiations, such as this
must be taken to end the existence of LGBT inequalities.
KDO
D. Mason, J. Leavitt, & M. Chaffee. (2012) Policy & politics in nursing and health care. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc.
R. Metha. (2012). The lesbian and gay movement and the state: Comparative insights into transformed relationship. American Sociological Association, 41(6), 828-829.
I cannot imagine why people don't celebrate the rights of members of the LGBT to marry. Marriage means commitment. It fosters healthier families. It is clearly a stabilizing factor in society. I read the NY Times Sunday edition and it seems perfectly normal to see announcements for gay couple's marriages being featured. In the 1960's biracial marriages were considered a travesty. Today, for most of us, that discrimination is a distant reminder of our clearly indefensible prejudice. Let's hope that the same soon proves to be the case with LGBT marriages.
ReplyDelete