Written by Tilasha Williams
It is an ongoing challenge being a part of the LGBTQ community without being criticized by either family members, peers or random people. There are people who refuse to accept themselves because of the fear of being disowned by their own blood. Not everyone has the luxury of being accepted by their family members. Actually, people tend to cater to the family members of that person who has claimed their sexual preference. The focus should not be on other people’s opinions, but on the person that fears speaking up because they do not want to be judged.
There is no guide to having a member of the LGBTQ community in your household. They should be accepted no matter what. People get bullied all the time for being themselves. Some might even be so far off the edge that they cannot take it anymore and end up attempting suicide.
Statistics show that a child in the LGBTQ community is more likely to attempt suicide at one point in their lives. That is because of all the hatred in the world we live in today. Each and every time an LGBTQ person gets bullied, they are more likely to harm themselves after the incident has occurred.
Recently in Minneapolis, there was a transgender woman who was beaten by a group of more than twenty men for a fender bender at a protest. Her name is Iyanna Dior. We live in a hateful, judgmental place where some people will find anything to hate about other human beings. Many other transgender women like her do not deserve what was done, for something as simple as a minor accident. This world needs to be better. We all need to be the change we demand.
