It’s hard to believe, but as we prepare to celebrate another birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we’re still embroiled in the struggle for human rights in the
In the spirit of Dr. King, many of us still actively work
for the day when the infinite rainbow of human diversity is universally
celebrated, cherished and protected, rather than resented or merely tolerated.
After all, as folk who’ve heard me lecture know I’m fond of saying, one
tolerates a headache and waits for it to go away. Our response to the richness
of racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity needs to be way
more positive, nurturing and celebratory than that!
As it turns out, many of us who walk in the benevolent shadow
of Dr. King’s legacy are blissfully unaware of his vocal and adamant support of
gay rights. Sadly, this blind spot is especially prevalent in communities of
color located in the US
and in much of the African diaspora. I’m not sure why that is; I am sure
however, that the irony of this breaks my heart, since communities of color around
the developed world know all too well how bigotry, hatred and a gross perversion
of the word of God have wreaked havoc on generations of black families. If we
doubt this, we need only remind ourselves of the destructive, vicious and
pernicious use of the Bible’s chapter and verse to justify slavery, so much so
that slaves were taught that to even wish for freedom was an insult to the very
will of God.
The Reverend Dr. King knew this and never forgot it; his
tireless, and ultimately fatal work fighting for the rights of all people
included his vocal support of the LBGTQ community as well. Moreover, when the
funeral of his widow, the late Coretta Scott King, was held at the church of a
notoriously homophobic pastor, many of Dr. and Ms. King’s closest and oldest
friends chose not to attend in protest, believing that the hosting pastor’s
negative position on gay rights would’ve had caused the illustrious couple to
roll in their graves. True to her memory and that of her martyred husband, the
non-attendees held a separate, more inclusive memorial service instead.
Many of you know that I’m a cancer survivor. I thank the
Universe every day for its benevolent care of my family and of me during the
very difficult period of my surgery and convalescence; I'm grateful that it cares for me still. For
those of us who battle illness and injury, who struggle within a health care
system that works far better for some than others, we do well to remember that
members of the LGBTQ community have particular challenges in accessing health
care. For all practical purposes in way too many places, they’re routinely
marginalized by the health care profession at large.
And whether those of us in the straight community are aware
of it or not, there are particular health issues that impact the lesbian, gay,
bi and transgendered population. For example, our lesbian sisters routinely
face a higher risk for breast cancer than the over-all population due to their
not taking birth control pills (the hormones of which help lower the risk of
breast cancer) and low incidence of childbearing. As we know, women who bear
children and breastfeed them have a significantly lower risk as well. Moreover,
according to a 2011 Institute
of Medicine
Equally worrisome, they can also experience higher rates of
emotional and behavioral health concerns than straight and bi-sexual women due
to the sheer burden and stress of living in homophobic cultures wherein hate
crimes, discrimination and bullying against lesbians are still widespread features of society. LGBTQ people
are also 40 to 60 percent more likely to smoke, a factor that’s also, at least
in part, attributable to stress.
Add to this the fact that there are precious few health
practitioners who’re trained and well-versed in the health care needs of folk
who are members of the LGBTQ community. And as much as we hate to admit it, racism, sexism, and
heterosexism, which is the myopic, narrow idea that EVERYONE oughta be
straight, are as pervasive in the medical community as it they are in other segments
of the population.
Why?
For one thing, doctors, nurses, and everyone else in
the medical field come from the general population at large, where stereotypes
about race, class, gender and sexual orientation are still alive and well.
Also, by their own admission, medical schools have done little to nothing when
it comes to training future health care professionals in matters of diversity.
In fact, one third of medical schools in the US admit that ZERO hours of LGBTQ
content are taught in their programs.
Hopefully, at least, we’re moving towards the day when all
medical practitioners, as well as the institutions that educate and hire them,
will recognize the shortcomings of using a one-size-fits-all approach to
patient care. Along those lines, health care providers are beginning to make
efforts to be more responsive to the situational issues that disproportionately
impact specific marginalized communities. Kudos to President Obama and
the Affordable Health Care Act for funding specialized efforts to gather specific
information on what needs fixing with respect to health care access for the
LGBTQ community.
After all, and as
hard as it is for some folk to accept, when it comes to sexual orientation,
LGBTQ people are born the way they are, pure and simple, just as straight
people are born the way they are, people of color are born the way they are, and
so on. That’s why we use the term sexual orientation rather than sexual
preference or choice. And as Dr. King so eloquently taught us in his view from
“the mountain top” and throughout his life, when one of us is treated unfairly,
we are all treated unfairly; when one of us suffers, so do we all.
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I agree with you about how we are all treated unfairly, by our sex, color or ever just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The problem is if we work together as one than things will be different.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe in treating anyone different because of sexual preference, color, race, gender, economic background or anything else that makes one unique. How a person treats me is how I define them. Period.
ReplyDeleteUnfair treatment is every where and affects all races, gender or sexual preferences. It is up to oneself to let them affect them or not. If someone treats me differently or makes me feels less of a person I do not allow them to to do it twice and I move on without that person in my life.
ReplyDeleteI really admired Dr.King and his words were so timely for the world. I am not sure if the lgbt communities were born that way, but I can accept that all should be treated equal. And if we are to succeed in this world we will have to help one another.
ReplyDeleteI feel if we just stand by the motto of "Treat people the way you want to be treated" this world would be a better place. No matter the color of your skin, your gender, sexual orientation or rich or poor . We are all the same in the eyes of God.
ReplyDeleteI am astonished at the amount of hate there still is to this day for one another, LGBT at that, as if there was something poisonous coming from love. To have the ability to look at others as if they were my own reflection. To remember that everyone has fears, struggles, dreams and hopes. We are all on this journey. The idea of everyone having compassion and love for one another, regardless. That is the society I want to make children in. I do believe we are closer then ever, as long as my neighbors are open to growing and learning, we can work together. I don't know about most but my journey includes all of you, it doesn't seem as fun alone.
ReplyDeleteuntil this world become a better place with love and learn accept every and anything it will always be an unfairness world. too much of judgmental and hatred to treat everyone with respect and love.
ReplyDelete“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”
ReplyDelete― Eleanor Roosevelt
This famous quote sums it all up for me. No matter where we come from, or what we were raised to believe the choice is ultimately ours to change the negative energy and thought processes many people in this country still have. We must create change for the betterment of our society. Love covers a multitude!
I absolutely disagree with judging someone because of their sexual preference. I respect everyones decision regarding who they decide to love even if I disagree. My favorite quote regarding this subject matter is " Do not judge me because I sin differently than you" -Anonymous
ReplyDeleteAs long as you are happy I am happy for you.