Harm to LGBTQ+ Just Trying to Serve their Country

Legislation and discriminatory practices that justify hate and persecution. The bans on transgender and LGBT individuals contribute to a sense of enduring discrimination, fear, and harassment for all minority individuals in the military. The stress LGBTQ+ face harms the military because it’s service members are harmed. These bans also do not support inclusiveness. It separates LGBTQ+ and prevents acceptance and toleration of all people in the military.

Healthcare

One study found a dramatic difference in health issues for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals in civilians. Due to DADT being repealed only recently, some are looking to non-service members to predict the differences in health care needs. “Studies of LGBT civilians from the general population indicate that there are important health differences between LGBT civilians and non-LGBT civilians. In civilian studies, LGBT individuals consistently show increased stress and psychological vulnerability when compared to their nonLGBT peers Specifically, LGBT civilians have higher rates of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use and abuse compared to non-LGBT individuals.”2  That being said, “When it comes to health, men are the weaker sex.” 3 One study found “Black, Hispanic, and other/multiple race veterans reported much worse health than White veterans.” 4 Factors in life, in biology, differences in socially accepted behavior and discrimination all affect the health of everyone in America. By arguing that LGBTQ+ members are more at risk for certain diseases seems weak compared to this evidence. Saying White men shouldn’t serve because they are at higher risk to “become alcoholics, or to have bladder cancer.”5 seems like a ridiculous notion to many. Every military service member can have multiple health issues, just because they are different does not mean that they will cost the military a dramatic amount of money. There are also plenty of studies done that have evidence that shows LGBTQ+ individuals have no extreme differences in medical health. This shows that whatever differences may exist are not so great that it would cause an extensive gap between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+

Unit Cohesion

As for unit cohesion, one study found that when there is acceptance within LGBTQ+ groups there are positive results and unit trust. When there is harassment, however, it “was negatively associated with social
cohesion”(Goldbach). Instead of changing negative attitudes toward LGBTQ+, many leaders, legislators, and civilians decided LGBTQ+ individuals had no place in the military. At a glance, one can think this is a logical conclusion and that bans have a function. But, now let’s talk about women. Women have always been in the military, but in different roles than men. They were nurses, prostitutes, and washerwomen until world war 1 when women were allowed to fight.  In World War 2, there was such a need for service members, the united states allowed women to actually enlist by 1943. Women, African Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and any other minority in the military were just as crucial to the war efforts as their white male peers.

Conclusion

Due to the vast amount of data against the justification of LGBTQ+ bans in the military, all legislation supporting said bans should be repealed. It causes harm to the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, and the military. There is no reason LGBTQ+ individuals should be restricted and the bans cause more harm than anything.

1 Goldbach, Jeremy T., and Carl Andrew Castro. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Service Members: Life After Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Current Psychiatry Reports, 2016. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11920-016-0695-0.

2/ 4 Harvard Health Publishing. “Mars vs. Venus: The Gender Gap in Health.” Harvard Health.  Accessed April 14, 2020. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/mars-vs-venus-the-gender-gap-in-health

3 Sheehan, Connor M, Robert A Hummer, Brenda L Moore, Kimberly R Huyser, and John Sibley Butler. “Duty, Honor, Country, Disparity: Race/Ethnic Differences in Health and Disability among Male Veterans.” Population research and policy review. U.S. National Library of Medicine, December 2015. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4714796/.

You should care about the topic about immigration because without immigrants, our nation would not be the nation it is today. Immigrants from all over the world have built our country from the bottom up. Diversity makes America what it is. Hispanics, a minority group that is soon growing to become a larger group of peoples in the United States, have attributed to the success and growth of our nation. 

To settle the dispute of placing stricter border restrictions, more action on the national level would have to be taken in order to make a grand difference. However, an individual, you, have the right to vote and every vote counts. It is imperative to educate yourself on Hispanic history and to be aware of the trials faced by them throughout time. Being educated on this background will help you when the time comes to vote for the next governor, president, or any government official. It is essential to listen carefully to their campaigns and to also analyze if what they are proposing could really be done. It is important to analyze if they are trustworthy and educated people themselves before making the choice of voting for them. You can also help increase public awareness of the different resources that are available, especially regarding the second social issue meshed into the large spectrum of Hispanic immigration, that being the discrimination against Hispanic immigrants. Technology has many pros and cons, such as social media, since it can be used for beneficial purposes but it can also do lots of damage. However, in this case, you should most certainly take advantage of social media to help raise awareness about various situations, moments in history, and events that have arisen that need widespread attention in order for the spurring social issue to be solved. Additionally, partake in volunteering at organizations that support the Hispanic community! Hispanics are more vulnerable to various harms than whites. Moreover, be conscious of labels and appropriate names of Hispanics racial groups. Be careful with stereotypes, especially regarding who you assume to be an illegal immigrant or not. Last but certainly not least, be more accepting of your own background and heritage if you are Hispanic. There is strength in numbers, and the Hispanic community is growing by the day. The Hispanic community is one who deserves to be treated with human dignity and decency, just as every other racial group deserves to be.

On the local level, in our very own university, we celebrate diversity through clubs and organizations. However, even our university can take action in trying to better welcome Hispanic immigrants. As a college, we can create lounges that are designated for the Hispanic community. I know there is one by the fish bowl that is designated for the LGBTQ+ community. We can even establish clubs that are divided further to appreciate specific Hispanic groups, such as Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and so on. More events such as seminars and fiestas can be held to appreciate and celebrate the Hispanic culture. To better support the Hispanic immigrant community, we can create an office that works specifically with immigrants as well as counseling services that can serve as a safe-haven and solution for any mental health issues Hispanic immigrants may deal with due to bullying and other forms of persecution. We should found an anti-bullying pledge or contract that we are all made to sign and agree to the terms, accepting the punishments if it is violated.

Nationally, we can try to increase quotas for the different countries to welcome Hispanics. We need more acceptance regarding the ability to hold political positions as well. To try to reach a happy medium between Democrats and Republicans on the topic of placing stricter border regulations, a huge national debate should be held where this is discussed. Policies and papers should be altered to ease the process for the Hispanics, and having translators available would additionally help since that can describe more clearly how the immigration process works to them. Making sure the immigrants are updated on their status and on the status of refugee camps and if they need to be deported is equally as important since there are many stories where they travel by foot and spend fifteen years at a camp and are forced to be deported back to their home countries, having to restart their lives and form new connections.

There are millions of Hispanic organizations that help these causes such as The Committee for Hispanic Families and Children (CHFC) that was founded to advocate for Hispanics and to aid in improving their quality of life. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), with their vision of an educated Hispanic community that actively, locally, and federally participates in taking action, aims to create the Hispanic leaders of the future. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund protects and promotes the Latinos’ civil rights, and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) empowers Hispanics to participate fully in American politics. These are only to name a few of the countless organizations that show love and support to the Hispanic immigrant community.[1]

Bibliography:

[1] “Latino Organizations You Need to Know.” Diversity Best Practices, 11 Sept. 2014, www.diversitybestpractices.com/news-articles/21-latino-organizations-you-need-know.

In a society that constantly changes and adapts to evolving circumstances, it is important to be aware of recent events and conscious of how to handle different matters pertaining to urgent topics.  Immigration is an increasingly popular topic for debate, and people find themselves being on either the pro-immigration stance or the anti-immigration side.  This is a problem: people should not be pinned against other human beings.  People should care about immigration because it is the foundation that formed many nations, especially the United States.  The U.S. is able to thrive on its diversity and offer so many options in so many different sectors of society as a direct result of immigration’s influences (i.e. job opportunities, education possibilities, language variation, cuisine, etc.).  People should care and want to know more about their surroundings, where they live/come from, and current events.  Many immigrant families encounter barriers that prevent them from completely immersing themselves in American culture.  Most of all, people should care about this matter because most people encounter immigrants (and know them personally) if they are not immigrants themselves.  To effect change in the way people perceive immigration and act towards it, alterations need to be made on three levels of society: the individual level, the local level (for our purpose, the RCNJ level), and the national level.

Individual Level

The first step in becoming an advocate of any social issue is becoming educated on the topic and being open-minded about all factors it involves.  Because people often base their opinions on what is depicted across the media, there are common misconceptions spread about immigrants and their backgrounds.  People can combat this by using trustworthy sources as well as becoming advocates for immigrants and the immigration process.  People can attend rallies/protests, attend marches, and sign petitions to raise awareness of the topic and to recruit others to start thinking in the same open-minded ways.  Although most movements are most effective at the national level, movements such as #MeToo begin on the individual level; once an individual speaks their truth and takes a stand, others feel empowered to do the same.  It takes on a domino effect: once a single individual takes action, others will feel empowered enough to follow in their footsteps.  Media can be a significant contributor in this, as those who feel passionately and strongly about the matter will likely reach out and try to make a difference in the way others see immigration.

Local/RCNJ Level

Above the individual level is the local level; Ramapo holds a significant amount of power in spreading awareness and acceptance throughout campus.  The school can offer courses and bring attention to immigration as well as its history in America.  While Ramapo does provide and advocate for diversity and activities celebrating different cultures, international students add a large portion of the diversity and new perspectives that are seen on campus, even though they may not necessarily be immigrants.  Colleges and universities have their own policies about accepting undocumented immigrants, so to make a difference, Ramapo can accept a wide range of immigrants no matter what their backgrounds may be (^1).  The students involved in the DREAM Act, referred to as Dreamers, are eligible to receive in-state tuition, and New Jersey and New York are both among two of the nineteen states to offer this opportunity, which is beneficial since Ramapo is in New Jersey and is close in proximity to New York (^2).  Despite the DREAM Act being a national bill, it allows colleges and universities to be an active part in undocumented students’ journeys.

National Level

Because of the complexity of immigration, the most action can be taken at the national level.  First, the US Immigrant Rights Movement is a nonviolent social movement that aims to protect immigrants from discrimination while also paving the way for undocumented immigrants to become citizens (^3).  This movement tries to grant immigrants opportunities with matters such as jobs and education and is integral in trying to give them a more fair chance in life (^4).  This social movement holds marches across different cities and states, which allows for them to raise more awareness.  All of its missions and goals can be found on their website.  While it is typical for volunteers of this movement to be of Latino descent, anyone who advocates for freedom can take action and be an ally in the movement.  Additionally, in recent years, immigration has become a hot topic for debate with lawmakers often disputing between being more strict or more lenient on immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented.  To effect change, the government can begin to become more consistent in how they manage and approach immigration matters.  These varying perspectives cause inconsistencies when passing legislation, which only makes it more difficult since regulations are changed and modified each time a new president and political party assumes office (the most recent modification being that President Trump has suspended immigration into the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic).  It would make it easier on citizens and government if media and legislation was spreading the same information, not conflicting or contradicting news.  We may be able to accomplish a trickle-down effect also, however, only if the national government is able to come to a mutual understanding in how to treat such matters.

Acceptance and advocacy of immigrants and the immigration process can be fostered at the individual level, through the local level, and all the way up to the national level.  If individuals are more tolerant and accepting, then more people will be granted opportunities.  The more people work together, the more efficient and advanced society will continue to become, so it is important to take a stand for what one believes in and see that through all the way to the national level by participating in rallies, voicing opinions, and always being civil.

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Bibliography

(Image 1 and Image 2) Semotiuk, Andy J. “What Do Immigrants Want And How Do They Get It?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, January 30, 2020.

(^1 and ^2) “The Dream Act, DACA, and Other Policies Designed to Protect Dreamers.” American Immigration Council, September 3, 2019.

(^3 and ^4) “The US Immigrant Rights Movement (2004-Ongoing).” ICNC: International Center on Nonviolence Conflict, 2020.