Lgbt Community Research Paper

Looking back at my childhood, I do not understand how I went so long without realizing the controversy surrounding the LGBT community. Now, although I will never fully understand, I recognize the struggles that some people are forced to go through just to be themselves. Because I grew up in an open-minded household without religion, I am, and have always been, able to form my own opinions about the LGBT community.

As a child, it was never described to me that a person can have feelings for another person of the same gender. It was never necessary for it to be explained to me; I was raised around it. My mom babysat for a lesbian couple, and I viewed the couple’s relationship just as I viewed my mother and father’s relationship. I did not identify any differences, and I never had any questions or concerns. I just thought that it was another way that

relationships could work.
I was ten years old when I first realized that there is controversy surrounding the LGBT community.

My best friend at the time invited me to go to church camp with her for a week during the summer. I was not raised with religion, but I thought it would be enjoyable to spend time at the camp anyway. While I was there I remember the pastor, for some reason, saying that on a previous day he had been flipping through the television channels. He said that he ended up landing on a reality television program that showed two boys kissing. I was not at all prepared for what he would say next. The pastor went on to say that the scene was repulsive and it should not have been allowed on television. I remember observing others around the room, and seeing everybody around me acting disgusted for the same reason that the pastor was. I was the only person acting disgusted for other reasons. I had never heard or realized before that gay people are not widely accepted. I was very irritated at the pastor, and because of that, he made me angry at religion. I started having questions about the LGBT community for the first

time.
After that incident I started asking my parents questions. I learned that both my parents are accepting. However, my mom says that she believes marriage is sacred, and it should be between a man and a woman. I do not like her answer, and I have never been able to hear a good argument from her. Over the years that followed, I learned a lot about the community from social media and television. However, I have learned the most from listening to those closest to me. The majority of my friends in my hometown are in the LGBT community. I am constantly hearing about their struggles. One of my good friends, one of the best people I have ever met, is currently having to deal with getting kicked out of her parent’s house because of her sexuality. A lot of my friends choose to keep their sexualities hidden from their parents because they do not want the same thing happening to them. I will never be able to fully understand the awful things that people in the LGBT community are forced to experience; just like I will never understand the hate towards them.
Even though I still have a lot to learn, I have definitely grown to have a better understanding of the things that people in the LGBT community go through. Being surrounded by diverse individuals definitely helped me to become as open-minded as I am today. Although when I was younger I had a good mentality in thinking that everybody was the same, now I understand that privilege and discrimination exists. I try my best to be empathetic as I continue to learn. To help both myself and my friends, I try to be the best person and ally that I can be.