1

Jonathan Vera
Professor Rodrick
Queer Studies 115
9/26/17
Why the Queer Identity is Hindered

For many years now, the LGBTQ community has seen many changes throughout time, one of

the biggest accomplishments was when same sex marriage was legalized back in June 26, 2015;

however, that doesnt mean that everyone has accepted the queer community. The queer

community has been frowned upon by many individuals and it continues to be a problem today;

not only here in the U.S, but also all over the world. Some people view the LGBTQ community

as monsters and frown upon what they believe in because it isnt normal. Social media has

hindered the queer identity due to the fact that many individuals do not approve of what the

LGBTQ stands for.

One of the issues the community faces is discrimination by others on social media such as

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. In an article by University Wire titled, Student Athlete

Tweets Anti-LGBTQ Remarks, a student from Saint Josephs University is in heat for tweeting

offensive remarks on Twitter. Not only is the student held accountable for this situation, but so is

the university and the university athletic department. The universitys athletic department had

recently had issues with students making such remarks and were monitored due to their behavior,

however it wasnt enforced. The student tweeted Never will understand how dyke women get

off during sex, he also commented on how he found out his childhood friend is gay and why the

world is coming to this. The reason why it is such a big issue is because these tweets arent

towards a single person but towards a whole community. Its tweets like these that make the

queer identity hard to express, there are people that are afraid to come out due to the fact that

they may lose those that are close to them, including family. People nowadays tend to be close-
 2

minded because when someone comes out gay, lesbian or bisexual, it isnt normal to them and its

sometimes due to their beliefs or what theyve been told. Not everyone will accept it, theyll just

keep fighting is as long as they have people backing them up. Change happens all the time and

people just have a difficult time accepting it.

Events that occur worldwide affect LGBTQ individuals from expressing their feelings and

beliefs. There are places in the world where if youre gay, you can be killed or jailed for life. The

sad thing is that even here in the U.S, being who you truly are can sometimes hold you back

from doing something as serving your country. President Donald Trump had recently issued a

ban on not allowing transgender people serve the military. This ban caused controversy all over

social media and caused a stir within the community. The daughter of Secretary Ryan Zinke took

action to social media and ranted stating that Donald Trump doesnt know what hes doing. She

herself is a veteran and is angry at the fact that a ban like this has displaced transgender soldiers

from being in the military. She, along with others, believe that anyone should serve regardless of

their background. Her page is dedicated to fighting this ban and hoping that one day Trump sees

the amount of support she is getting and hoping the ban can one day be removed. This ban ruined

the lives of many that may have had the only job they can get. To be unemployed just for being

themselves is truly unacceptable. The worst part is that Donald Trump and Vice President Mike

Pence are against all these LGBTQ laws and could one day ban everything involving that

particular group. Such actions could impact the community in a way where no one will ever be

able to express themselves anymore just so they dont lose their job.
 3

The internet is a place where almost everything can be seen as a joke. There are memes

dealing with the situation with North Korea. There are even videos of someone dying or being

killed and all people say is, aye same. The jokes seen the most though would have to be the

ones involving the LGBTQ community. There are people that see this more than two genders,

thing as a joke. People want to be identified as transformer non-binary female, or some

whacky gender and everyone gets all mad and upset about it. They dont let them be because the

only genders they see are male and female. They dont know what its like be queer and how it

affects ones life, they only care for themselves. It doesnt matter what gender people prefer, we

should accept them for who they are, it is their choice. Sure, the whole gender thing is a little odd

but it doesnt mean they arent human. Its just odd when a country such as Brazil labels

homosexuality as an illness and that it can be cured through therapy. Homosexuality isnt an

illness, it cant be contracted in any way, shape or form. Theres someone out there who has

taken great offense to this and is now afraid of coming out to the world because theyll be seen
 4

as sick or a walking disease. Things like these prevent people from opening up, it creates fear

and the feeling of loneliness. The image above shows a LGBTQ page on Instagram that is upset

with what Brazil identifies homosexuality as. Its things like these that have to change or the

community wont see much of a difference at all.

In most societies, religion has zero tolerance for anything dealing with the queer community.

You see it all the time. GOD HATES FAGS, that message alone angers the LGBTQ

community in a way where they fight against it. LGBTQ members took it upon themselves to get

people to see that any god/religion accepts them. There was a case where LGBTQ members from

Jerusalem were marching in the Jerusalem Pride Parade waving their rainbow flag with a Magen

David. The flag represented that the entire Jew community accepted them for who they are. Now

thats a strong message to send especially when not everyone truly accepts them for being queer.

One particular person didnt like this and began stabbing those involved in the parade which

resulted in a person being killed and multiple injuries. The terrorist despised the message they

were sending, because same sex love is an abomination in Jewish culture. There are people out

there that see the stabbings as a good thing because it was their religion being desecrated by

these people in the parade. Terrorist acts against the LGBTQ community have been in the news

lately, the most horrific one being the Pulse Nightclub Shooting. 49 people were killed and 58

were injured, the terrorist group called ISIS had claimed that they were responsible for the mass

shooting. It shows just how much people take their religion serious and that there are people out

there who will hurt others just because of their beliefs. The involvement of religion and same-sex

love can cause a stir worldwide, so its best to leave it out and not cause any trouble.

The queer identity needs to see a big change, because if it doesnt change eventually it will

die off and its existence will not be around for much longer. There are still people who have still
 5

not taken a liking to the queer identity and that is a problem. Yes, the LGBTQ community has

done so much to get its message addressed, but there is still much more work needed to make a

global change. The internet is home to many queer individuals who are proud to express who

they are and make it loud and clear to everyone. Yet, there is still a large percentage that lurks in

the shadows, afraid that the things they might say or do will have severe consequences on their

lives. The queer identity means so much to these people and it is unfortunate that many people

misinterpret the true meaning of being queer. It is more than just being gay, lesbian, or bi, its a

way of life that shouldnt be broken or judged. The only thing holding it together are the

individuals affiliated with the LGBTQ and the supporters. There are high hopes that one day the

queer identity will rise up from oppression and it can be seen as something normal. Social media

has done so much for the community and they wont stop. Taking action and sticking together is

the most important thing for the queer community, or the queer community will get nowhere.

Work Cited

Zeveloff, Naomi. The Transgender Activist Who Fought On, Even in Death. Forward,
Apr. 2015, pp. 1012.

Student Athlete Tweets Anti-LGBTQ Remarks. University Wire, 2015, pp. University
Wire, Mar 31, 2015.

Barbershop: Taking Stock Of Orlando With Members Of The LGBTQ Community.

Weekend All Things Considered, 2016, pp. Weekend All Things Considered, Jun 18,
2016.

Fraser, Jayme. Zinkes Veteran Daughter Excoriates Trump in Response to Transgender

Military Ban. Missoulian, 2017, pp. Missoulian, Aug 25, 2017.