Discrimination and a unique set of obstacles are common amongst all members of the LGBT community, but oftentimes transgender individuals receive higher rates of discrimination and are faced with more hurdles to overcome than their lesbian, gay, and bisexual companions. The reason for this heightened discrimination may be the simultaneous rejection of both gender and sexual societal norms. Though transgender individuals are often credited with propelling the LGBT movement, they oftentimes becomes a lightening rod for discrimination outside of their community.

In fact, in 1969 during the Stonewall riots two prominent activists were trans-women of color. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were in the front lines during the riots and continued to fight for gay and trans rights in years to come. Though some claim that gender rights and sexual orientation mustn’t be linked together in the same fight for equality, past experience has taught us that the LGBT movement prefers to band together.

But while the transgender community has offered incredible amounts of support and helped to be a voice for the LGBT movement, they face both passive and aggressive demonstrations of discrimination at a higher rate than most LGBT citizens. Transgender individuals experience a higher rate of both teen and adult poverty, harassment in the workplace, and sexual harassment. They also experience sexual harassment and anti-LGBT motivated violence at a higher rate. In fact, according to a study done by the National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs, 72 percent of anti LGBT violence is directed to transgender individuals.

Though the road to improvement looks difficult, many are on their way to creating a better way of life through raising awareness, active and open conversation and legislative and legal steps like making bathrooms genderless and making legal documents accessible to transgender individuals. Legal documents dictate many aspects of day to day life from travel to work to education. Having inaccurate documents with incorrect name and gender listed can make services unaccessible and put transgender individuals in danger.

For those who are transgender, there are many resources available both in the greater Bloomington area and nationally. Wether to address discriminatory actions or simply have discussions with other members of the LGBT community that might provide support, there are services like the Transgender Lifetime at 877-565-8860 or Gender Warriors, an Indiana University based private group that is open to all transgender or non-binary individuals for a place to discuss and support one another.

Domestic abuse is a societal issue that plagues many communities across the world. Study after study and many support groups have been organized to address the issue and we have gleaned quite a bit of knowledge over the past couple of decades, but it is likely that when many people think about domestic abuse, they picture a heterosexual couple. It could surprise many that domestic abuse is equally as likely for lesbian women and gay men as it is for heterosexual women. That is one in four lesbian women or gay men will be abused by their significant other.

So why is our perception so skewed? It likely has much to do with the politics surrounding the LGBT community. Many members of the community keep their abuse under wraps for fear of drawing more negative attention to a community that already receives plenty. Studies and public perception surrounding domestic abuse has favored coverage of heterosexual abuse as well, despite the fact that the LGBT community takes up 4-10 percent of the population.

In addition, the LGBT community probably faces the same kind of unfamiliarity with abusive relationships and what they look like as heterosexual couples do. In a study conducted in 2006, 53 percent of domestically abused LGBT individuals surveyed said that they had been in an emotionally abusive relationship, however 59 percent said they had been emotionally abused but wouldn’t categorize their relationship as abusive. This indicates that many individuals do not recognize what constitutes as an abusive relationship and therefore not all numbers can be taken as exhaustively accurate.

This information is particularly troubling as domestic abuse becomes more common. In 1997, domestic violence was reported to be the third largest risk to gay male health behind AIDS and substance abuse. Since then, the numbers have only risen. The rate at which gay men experienced domestic abuse in 1997 is 11 percent while in 2015 it was 23 percent.

When a person experiences domestic abuse, it is often difficult to talk about. When the political pressures that often face the LGBT community are also applied, it further complicates the situation. It helps to have a list of people you can talk to, like the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, an organization that has an outlet specifically for LGBT victims or the Gay Man’s Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-832-1901, which is an organization that supports Gay men specifically. Middle Way House and GLBT Student Support Services are good resources for those in the Bloomington area.

The growth and development of the LGBT community has been marked over the years by political and legal development. The movement, which began with the Stonewall riots in 1969, has slowly taken flight.

The movement had garnered attention at the time and non-profit organizations began to arise like Lamba Legal, a non-profit organization that protects the legal rights of the LGBT community, in 1973 and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a supportive organization, in 1982. Even with all of this change, the LGBT community suffered a set back in 1986 when the Supreme Court ruled in Bowers v. Hardwick that even in their own home, LGBT citizens did not have a constitutional right to engage in homosexual acts. The decision claiming that their constitutional right to privacy did not extend to LGBT citizens in this case was reversed in 2003.

After what seemed like progress in 1994 when homosexuality was deemed by the World Health Organization and the American Medical Organization to no longer be an illness, The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was passed in 1996. DOMA stipulated that “no state, territory, or possession of the United States or Indian tribe shall be required to give effect to any marriage between persons of the same sex.” DOMA further limited the definition of “marriage” to be between a man and a woman and the definition of “spouse” to be someone of the opposite sex. In the 2013 Supreme Court case United States v. Windsor, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional.  

California was the first state in the United States to legalize gay partnership in 1999. It was also the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2008 along with Connecticut. Some states at the time allowed domestic partnerships, but these partnerships did not have all of the protections and provisions that marriage did at the time. The movement still pushed for full marital rights.

After 2010, the LGBT movement seemed to be looking up. Although former president Barrack Obama had started his presidential campaign with his support limited to civil unions, in 2013 he stated that he supported complete marital equality for LGBT couples. Just two years later, LGBT couples were granted that right. The Obergefell v. Hodges decision expanded marital rights to LGBT citizens.

Though this fight for marital equality was successful, the movement continues to challenge discriminatory legislation and practices in the hopes that the LGBT community might one day enjoy the same rights and privileges as their straight and cisgender neighbors.