The Concept of LGBT Housing - Research Paper Example

The Emerging Model of LGBT Housing on U.S. Campuses The world is becoming diverse. Many cultures and communities are emerging day in day out. All these communities and cultures have their own identities and ways of life. A good example of these emerging communities and cultures is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community well known as LGBTQ community. American residents and the world consider this as a minority group. Because of its identity, the community members face discrimination and oppression. There is no law protecting their rights. Many members face humiliation from the society but they live with it because most people do not care and are not ready to protect them. This harassment of the LGBT community extends to higher learning institutions like universities and colleges. Students belonging to this community face verbal and physical violence from fellow students thus making their academic environment horrible (Andreatta 197). The society sees this community as immoral and their security becomes an issue. LLC, living learning community, intends to support this community by introducing housing that recognizes unity among the LGBT members. It aims at bringing together this community and helps them achieve recognition from the society. It also aims at providing them with a safer environment where they can interact, share, and understand their surroundings better. LLC believes that the housing issue will succeed. They hope to make housing arrangements where students of the same identity will stay together regardless of their gender. This will only be successful if students put their efforts in implementing the idea. This housing idea has led to many arguments for and against the emerging model of LGBT housing on U.S. campuses. There are groups supporting the idea but others who are against it. LGBT housing is a good idea because it recognizes the LGBT community. The housing idea will bring together the LGBT community and promote their self-esteem. The community members have low self-esteem because the society seems not to accept them thus humiliating them and their feelings. When they are staying together, they are able to share some challenges they face and work on the solutions to that. Sharing of their experiences in campus and the society will strengthen their togetherness and behavior. They will be able to fight for their rights in the campus and spread the same spirit to other members in the society. LGBT community is real and it is growing at a high rate in US and in the world. If the members do not raise their voices and fight for equality, they will remain a despised group. This unity through housing will give them strength of togetherness to influence others in the society to fight for their civil rights. This togetherness will curb the fear of those who are gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender and prompt them to come out. Many have been hiding their identity for fear of intimidation. This housing idea will house these groups to act as a role model to others. If many see this kind of courage and brevity to come out, they will be free to join the campaigns for fighting for their rights. This will make them gain respect from the community because they will be able to stand with what they want without fear. This will reduce cases of social discrimination and humiliation thus making interaction with people and society easier (Sears 174). The housing idea will improve the performance of the students from the LBGT community. This is because it will make their learning environment conducive. For instance, the humiliations they face in current housing programs are very disturbing because other students make fun and mock their identities. This affects their education. Many end up performing poor because of these social problems. Many students do not want to associate with them in discussions, class work, or even education teamwork. They are left to study and undertake their activities alone, which slowly kill their morale for working hard in school. These relationships affect their results because they think everyone is against them and no one wants to understand their feelings. If they start fighting for their rights, other students may start accepting them thus improving their relationships. Through the housing idea, the group will become visible even among the top performing students. This is because students will be able to accept who they are and stop dealing with the identity by adopting fake identities in order to feel a sense of belonging in the school community. Additionally, this program will give the LGBT students a chance to participate freely in school activities and events (Forest 400). Most of them feel a sense of isolation and this makes it difficult for them to explore their personal capabilities and potentials. The program will give them opportunities to air their views and opinions without fear of discrimination. This will improve their self-actualization and maintain their dignities. The housing program will be able to solve future problems concerning the LGBT community. The program will be able to solve most of the social problems facing this community and this will curb future challenges. For instance, the LGBT students who are fresh from high school may fear to join the university because of its status when it comes to culture recognition, sexual orientation, and gender identities. If universities do not consider or try to take actions concerning the culture diversity, they may lose many potential students who would join the university if the appropriate environment were established. Working on the discrimination of the LGBT will attract many students who want to be part of the university. Additionally, failure to take action may ruin a university’s reputation and affect its performance. Taking such a vital action to promote equality among students creates a base for other universities both public and private to follow. Many universities will follow the suit by adopting similar or even better measures to do away with discrimination (Sanlo at el. 8). This may not only be beneficial to the students but the state as well. This is because educational performance may improve. Many students from this community will now be able to pursue their higher education without oppression because the university will be able to provide a safer learning environment for them. The housing program will help universities in identifying these LGBT students and be able to address their needs more closely. These students have disturbing questions, which need answers as well as problems, which needs solutions just like any other student in the university. The institutions will also be able to reach these students and address their needs in a personal level. Through this, they will be able to talk out the challenges they are facing and this will help the management in formulating anti-discriminatory policies for the university. Before the management formulates any policies, they will be able to understand the challenges that these students face thus enabling them to make more favorable and better policies. This will improve the discipline of the students around the school because it will be able to give out the disciplinary measures against any student who mistreats any other student (Renn and Robert 25-29). This will improve the student’s confidence when learning because they will safe participating in school activities. All the universities in U.S and other countries should embrace similar programs and measures to curb discrimination in schools. These measures should aim at promoting equality to all the students by accommodating all their cultures, races, colors, sex orientations, gender identity among other factors. This will extend to the whole society. Many people will learn that all human beings are equal and that there should be equal treatment to everyone. This will eliminate social evils in the society. These actions will reduce the issues associated with minority groups and majority groups (Stulberg & Weinberg 3). Equality can promote social and economic justice. There will be equal distribution of the all the state’s social and economic resources. This will promote love, peace, and unity. Every person will be able to enjoy their stay in their own country and feel the sense of responsibility. Works Cited. Andreatta Britt. Navigating the Research University: A Guide for First-Year Students. Cengage Learning (2011). Print. Forest, James J. F, and Kevin Kinser. Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print Renn, Kristen A, and Robert D. Reason. College Students in the United States: Characteristics, Experiences, and Outcomes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012. Print. Sanlo, Ronni L, Sue Rankin, and Robert Schoenberg. Our Place on Campus: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Services and Programs in Higher Education. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2002. Print. Sears, James T. Youth, Education, and Sexualities: Vol. 1. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2005. Print. Stulberg , Lisa & Weinberg, Sharon. Diversity in American higher education. New York: Routledge. 2012. Print. Read More