September 23, 2016

Dear Future President:

Although gay marriage is now legal in all fifty states of our great country, the homosexual population is not completely satisfied or as “equal” as they should be. You may be thinking, “Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are allowed to get married as they wish. What more could they want?” Well, Mr. or Mrs. President, the facts are, they still do not have all the same rights as heterosexuals or what some people may call “normal people”. It is incomprehensible to believe that homosexuals still have the rights that everyone else has. In twenty eight out of our country’s fifty states, it is legal to discriminate against LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transexuals) when looking for an apartment or house, applying for a job, or buying something at a store.

The reason that this letter is being written to you, President of the United States of America , is because this needs to be addressed. LGBT’s already have rights, such as being able to get married in all 50 states, being able to adopt as a homosexual couple, etc. That is great and is significant progress from what it used to be, but there is more that needs to be done. Homosexuals are discriminated against so much that it is becoming hateful and malevolent. If citizens are not allowed to victimize other races because of their skin color, then why can people treat gays as inferior because of their sexual preference? It is understandable that some may not completely agree with this lifestyle choice, but just because people have different views on this matter, it does not mean that it is okay to contradistinguish homosexual persons or couples.

On the topic of discrimination against gays, there has been talk focusing on whether gay/straight alliances should be allowed at schools. A gay/straight alliance is a student run club in middle schools and typically high schools. These clubs or alliances provide a safe place for teenagers to talk about their sexual orientation, support others, and work to end homophobia and discrimination in their schools and communities. All schools should have these groundbreaking groups. They help teens who may have trouble understanding what their sexual preference is and can also help stop, normal, everyday slander against the population of homosexuals in schools. Also, if a student is bullied or excoriated because of his/her sexuality, the student doing the mocking should be punished as if they were discriminating or segregating against a student of a different race. It is bad enough that kids of this age are having trouble with school, home life, and even their own psychological problems. Having someone constantly make fun of them because of their sexual preference is easily able to put an individual over the edge.

This issue isn’t an “opinion” or a “guess”. A study made in 2013 by Zack Ford stated that 55% of LGBT’s feel “unsafe” at school. Words like “gay” and “queer” are often used in the incorrect manner and the report shows that homosexuals in the place of education makes them feel distressed an overwhelming 91% of the time. On the worst note, teachers, the individuals who are supposed to lead by example, help students with personal and educational problems, and be role models to teenagers, have been found to make homophobic comments and negative expressions of thought about gender orientation, as stated by a number of students across the nation. This, future president, is unacceptable. If a teacher is to be caught in the act of discriminating a LGBT student or staff in any way, that individual should be let go of and fired immediately.

Future leader of the United States of America, homosexuals have the right to marry, adopt, etc, but, it is not enough. LGBT’s must have all the exact same rights as other American citizens. 14% of the hate crimes in the United States target lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transexuals. The fact that discrimination statistics towards these people are through the roof, is just unacceptable. Please make a change.