Saturday, June 13, 2020
Week 6: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
My brother-in-law is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He and his partner have both experienced bias since they have both come out to their families. His partner's family have not been accepting of the fact that he is gay. However, my brother-in-law has told me about specific incidents where he has been discriminated against because of his sexual orientation. He was once denied a job because the owner felt uncomfortable having a member of the LGBTQ+ community on staff. The owner said, "It's nothing against you, but I don't want my clients to feel like their gonna get hit on by a guy." My brother-in-law lost his feeling of equality that day. He is proud of the fact that he is in a healthy relationship and of how our family supports him, but he felt so defeated after that particular encounter. This incident made me angry and hurt because my brother-in-law loves with all of his heart, and he puts his heart into each and everything that he does. Even though he has been given rights legally, it does not always show. I feel that this particular incident is an opportunity for him to tell his story, and bring awareness to the fact that he is deserving of jobs, love, whatever anyone else receives.
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Heather, I'm sorry your brother-in-law had to go through that experience. It is not fair that because of our identities we are discriminated against. I remember working at a center where some parents had disenrolled their children because of a teacher who was gay. I believe that was one of the best teachers we had in the program but he eventually left as his class was becoming smaller.
ReplyDeleteHeather, I am sorry that your brother-in-law received such ill manner treatment. Our society needs to accept the things that we cannot change and become more respectful towards individual gender identity. I have a number of of friends and family members who are homosexual and I do not treat them differently. It it very important that respect one another and the decisions we make.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry your brother-in-law was treated this way. No one should ever be denied a job employment based on their sexual orientation. It is hard enough in the society we live in for members of the LGBT community. I'm sure your brother-in-law is very appreciative of the support that he has from you all.