Diversity Rules Magazine

10 Diversity Rules Magazine September 2015 Susan K. omas is a lecturer in English at the Uni- versity of Kansas where she spreads the good gay word through LGBT lit- erature and first year composi- tion courses. She is currently researching the impact of HIV/AIDS on the LGBT community in Kansas. She has two cats, Hannah and Hamlet (Ham). Q. Now that we have marriage equality, what more do we have to work for (you always seem knowledgeable on this type of stuff!)? Randi A. Well, Randi, we have quite a bit of work to do. e marriage equality win was huge for our community. Not only does it affirm our relationships, but it also ensures that people have access to a spouse's healthcare decisions, can't be taxed for inheritance from a deceased spouse, and a score of other advantages. Now, as far as what we still have to work for, well, the list is longer than you might expect. To begin with, we need to work for equal protection in housing and employment. What many people have learned the hard way is that they might marry a same- sex partner over the weekend, and return to work on Monday only to be fired for the simple act of marry- ing the person they love. And there is nothing that they can do if they live in a county or state that does not cover sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination clause (while some states may not include sexual orien- tation in its anti-discrimination protections, there may be counties within that same state that do). Only 22 states and the District of Columbia currently outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, and only 19 outlaw discrimination based on gender identity. Now, I need to recognize that many companies do have their own anti-discrimination clauses that include sexu- al orientation and/or gender identity. In fact, according to the Human Rights Campaign, approximately 90% of the Fortune 500 publicly traded companies prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Still, there are many businesses that don't include LGBT people, and there are no laws to protect us in housing in the majority of states. e community also needs to fight for hate crime legis- lation throughout the country. According to the Anti- Defamation League, while 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico criminalize bias-motivated violence, only 32 states include sexual orientation and only 18 include gender identity in their laws. is leads me to pull out the soapbox to bring focus to the fact that Transgender and gender fluid people are the most persecuted group under the LGBT um- brella. is group has not only been marginalized in society, but also with- in our own community. Without this group, we would not have had Stonewall, and we would most likely not be where we are today in regards to equal rights for LGB people. We need to step up and listen to what the Trans* com- munity needs from us. While some might argue that they just want to be able to pee in peace, others find challenges elsewhere, whether being safe in public ven- ues or having insurance access to healthcare. We need to do more. We will continue seeing religious freedom laws pop up throughout the country as LGBT people gain rights. Contact local politicians to let your voice be known. Don't passively sit back as they try to take rights away from those in other states while you sit protected in your own. A simple Internet search will demonstrate a list of rights we lack as a group, so let us not wait for equality to come to us. Be firm with politicians that we deserve equality in every aspects of our lives, whether we are LGB or T. Keep fighting the good fight. "inQUEERies" is an interactive column. Readers are encouraged to submit questions for Susan to answer! Contact Susan directly at: s.k.thomas183@gmail.com inQUEERies By Susan K. Thomas (c) Can Stock Photo Inc. / grsphoto

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