Diversity (Women and Lgbt)

Associate Program Material Diversity Organizations Worksheet Complete the following table with notes and thoughts related to your findings: Site| Thoughts/Notes| www. madre. org| International women’s human rights organization that uses human rights to advance social justice. This organization’s mission is to advance women’s human rights all over the world. | http://justice-equality. org| Organization for Justice and Equality. This organization’s goal is the upholding of justice and the promotion of equality in the U. S.

Their emphasis is on civil rights, government policies and operations, ethical issues and consumer grievances. | www. thetrevorproject. org| A national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. This organization is the only one that focuses only on teens and young adults. They are also the leading crisis resource for anti-bullying initiatives. | Write a 750 to 1,050- word paper answering the following questions: * What has been the status of women in the United States throughout history?

Throughout history, women have always been beneath men in the amount of respect they received, the lack of equality of rights and more recently salary. Even though women are stronger than men emotionally and sometimes it seems women are stronger than men when it comes to giving birth and then taking care of the family, while still working a full time job, women still get the short end of the stick. Even the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize women as the head of the household. There is no wonder; the Catholic Church doesn’t allow women in the pulpit either. * What is the status of women in the U. S. oday? The current status of women in the United States has improved a lot in the past 80+ years. Women don’t have to stay at home and raise the children any longer, where in the past there wasn’t a question of it happening. Women now have equal rights in most areas in the country, but they are still behind in the salary department especially in specific industries. Women now hold positions as CEOs of large companies, but again their salary might be a bit lower than that of a man working for a different company The fact that women can take on just about any occupation available is a big change also.

There are many occupations that are male oriented, but women have busted through some of those walls also. * What are some examples of concepts or constructions of masculinity and femininity that you see in society and in media? Concepts of masculinity in society lately have been young men sporting short hair again and wearing button down shirts with jeans. Also some middle-age and older men are starting to grow out their beards. This is most noticeable in the media though. Examples of concepts of femininity seem to change too often to notice. It seems though that short skirts are on their way back though in general.

I have not noticed anything significant with the women in media or even with celebrities. The only time anything is really noticeable is during the award shows, but then that is just fashion for one evening. * Historically, what has been the social status of GLBT people? Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transgender and recently Questioning people have had a harder road than some of the larger minority groups in this country. Many years ago, being a ‘gay’ male or ‘lesbian’, might have meant they were going to lose their friendships or connection to family.

The alternative lifestyle has opened up the doors of discussion in churches and all the way up to the White House. They have been an unaccepted people for a very long time. All the people of the GLBTQ community want is to have the same rights as married heterosexuals when it comes to marriage and adoption, as well as just to be accepted for who they are. * What is the status of GLBT people in the U. S. today? Today Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender people are a lot more accepted then say 30+ years ago, but there is still vast room for improvement.

Depending on the state, it is now legal for gay men and lesbian women to get married. The same goes for adoption also. Currently there are about twelve states in the country that do not permit GLBT adoptions. That is because some of those states don’t recognize the couple as a true couple. They are basing their decision on the Bible, even though there is supposed to be a separation of church and state. Since the church does not acknowledge the GLBT lifestyle, they will never be accepted by the church. * What are some social and political issues relevant to women and GLBT people in the U.

S.? In politics, women seem to be equal to men in the United States. The Supreme Court got their first female justice on September 25, 1981 when Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed. The next major milestone was the first Hipic female justice. Sonia M. Sotomayor was appointed on August 8, 2009. Because of the last election, the senate has 20 female Senators, which is the most in history. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House. As for members of the GLBT community, there are a handful of gay men and lesbian women who are known in government.

Their lifestyle choice did not stop them from getting elected which is hopeful in the long run. They were voted into office because their constituents thought they were the best person for the job. I think the political arena is tougher for GLBT to navigate because it is such a hot topic between church and state and Democrats and Republicans. A person that claims to be conservative won’t be able to also come out as someone from the GLBT community. Most likely because Conservatives don’t accept the GLBT lifestyle to begin with.

Socially, women have the edge of GLBT people also. Women have been accepted socially way longer then they had the right to vote. Granted, the socialization was usually just woman socializing with women; it was still an acceptable thing. For the GLBT community, they tend to socialize more amongst themselves than in any other forum. Not saying, they won’t socialize at all with heterosexuals. If they aren’t socializing with people that know they are of that lifestyle, they are not making it known that they are of that lifestyle. REFERENCES

Johnson, R. (2013). Where is Gay Adoption Legal? About. com Guide. Retrieved from http://gaylife. about. com/od/gayparentingadoption/a/gaycoupleadopt_2. htm Supreme Court of the United States. (2013) Members of the Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved from http://www. supremecourt. gov/about/members. aspx Terkel, A. (2012). Women In Senate: 2012 Election Ushers in Historic Number of Female Senators. Huffington Post. com. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/11/07/women-senate-2012-election_n_2086093. html