In the present day, LGBTQ culture may be regarded as a co-culture or subculture in relation to the dominant culture of the United States. Due to the particular attention of society and policymakers to tolerance, diversity, equal human rights, and equal opportunities for everyone, it lives in harmony with the dominant culture being generally accepted by it. At the same time, the LGBTQ community may be regarded as a distinct formation with its own structure, values, beliefs, norms, characteristics, and perceptions. Thus, the understanding of its culture is essential for appropriate interaction and communication between people who belong to different culture but share the values of multiculturalism and equality. At the same time, it is essential to mention that not all LGBTQ individual identify with their culture due to unawareness of its existence, desire to remain unidentified, and social stigmatization. Thus, the examination of LGBTQ culture is also necessary for the minimization of stereotyping and creating more comfortable atmosphere for all people in society.
In general, an umbrella term of LGBTQ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. It covers two main facets of identity within which the criteria of membership exist – sexual orientation and gender identity (Margolies and Brown 34). While all people have sexual orientation and heterosexuality presuppose romantic and sexual attachment to people of the opposite sex, gay and lesbian individuals are attached to partners of the same sex (Margolies and Brown 34). Concerning pansexual, or bisexual, people, they are sexually attracted by individuals of both genders.
At the same time, gender identity is an attribute of all people as well. Thus, while cisgender people identify with the same sex assigned at birth, transgenders associate themselves with the sex “other than the one they were assigned at birth,” and gender queer, or nonbinary, individuals do not identify with either male or female sex exclusively (Margolies and Brown 35). In turn, in LGBTQ culture, the groups of sexual orientation and gender identity are distinct and they do not determine individuals’ sexual behavior (Margolies and Brown 35). For instance, transgenders may be bisexual, homosexual, and heterosexual, or none of these categories.
The history of the LGBTQ culture cannot be regarded as blissful one. Although Native Americans accepted the existence of same-sex love and “Two-Spirit” people, it shocked European invaders as unacceptable beliefs that deviated from a traditional understanding of feminine and masculine roles (Morris par. 7). In general, the members of the LGBTQ community had been heavily discriminated and stigmatized until the end of World War II when the atrocity of Nazis especially in relation to homosexual people showed the vulnerability of these populations. Only since the 1960s, homosexuality has stopped to be banned across the country, and the legalization of same-sex marriage along with the availability of military service for homosexuals occurred in the 2000s. The acknowledgement of transgenders’ human rights also began in the 1960s, and in the present day, these people are legally protected from all kinds of violence and discrimination in the workplace.
The most recognizable symbol of LGBTQ culture is a rainbow, or pride, flag that includes red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet colors that symbolize life, healing, sunlight, nature, art, and serenity. In addition, the transgender flag exists within the culture – while blue and pink stripes in it refer to the traditional masculine and feminine colors, a white stripe symbolizes transitioning and non-identification with any gender. In the present day, a unified flag for the LGBTQ community includes not only a rainbow and transgender flags but also black and brown stripes that symbolize racial minorities.
The inclusion of Black and Brown people as populations highly vulnerable to structural racism is symbolic. In the United States, regardless of official acceptance and the spread of the ideas of tolerance, LGBTQ community members are highly vulnerable to discrimination and inequities. Thus, they face significant health disparities due to a combination of minority stress and barriers to health care (Margolies and Brown 36). As gender and sexual minorities, LGBTQ people experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems along with physical comorbidities, including substance abuse, smoking, cardiovascular disease, sexually transmitted illnesses, and obesity. Young people who identify as LGBTQ individuals frequently suffer from suicidal ideations and cannot receive any help (McDermott et al. 156). However, due to stereotypes that exist in the health care system and cultural incompetence of health care providers, a considerable number of LGBTQ individuals delay or reject health care. In the same way, LGBTQ students face marginalization in education – according to the study conducted by Cech and Rothwell, they experience biased attitude, prejudice, and devaluation of their works (583). The same situation may be observed in the workplace, sport, and other spheres where rituals do not correspond with the practices of LGBTQ people.
The discrimination and stigmatization even if not aligned with official governmental policies and not typical for all people belonged to a dominant culture are based on particular stereotypes against LGBTQ culture and its followers (Morrison et al. 1). For instance, a considerable number of people believe that all LGBTQ community members are promiscuous and not religious, all gays are effeminate and pedophiles, while lesbians are masculine and hate men. In addition, the representatives of a dominant culture frequently pay attention to the fact of belonging of other people to the LGBTQ community. For instance, when they identify LGBTQ people, they start to act differently, both verbally (avoidance or focus on particular topics) and non-verbally (physical distance).
At the same time, the elimination of prejudice, stigmatization, and discrimination against LGBTQ culture and its followers is essential as it violates all norms of humanity. Moreover, a dominant culture may consider and absorb the norms and values of LGBTQ co-culture that may be defined as the following PRIDE values:
- Professionalism. Positive, competent, reliable, responsible, accountable, and collaborative interaction with people regardless of their backgrounds in all spheres.
- Respect. Treating others with courtesy, kindness, utmost consideration, and in way as a person wants to be treated.
- Integrity. Being trustworthy, honest, sincere, and ethical.
- Diversity. Appreciating and celebrating differences in others, praising inclusion, and creating equal opportunities for all people.
- Excellence. Being motivated, confident, and dedicated to personal values and beliefs, supporting and encouraging others on a daily basis.
In addition, LGBTQ culture has a potential to improve the values and norms of a dominant culture even if these norms are not officially stated but nevertheless exist. Thus, when Lamont et al. were investigating campus hookup culture, they noticed several important differences between its perception by straight and LGBTQ students (1). In a dominant culture, the practice of hookup as a range of sexual behaviors “encourages the poor treatment of hookup participants, especially women, with status jockeying, narrow expectations for physical appearance, a large orgasm gap, “slut shaming,” inattentiveness to emotions, and high rates of sexual coercion and assault” (Lamont et al. 3). In other words, in the context of interactions between individuals, a dominant culture supports the superiority of straight men who express disrespect to women and their needs, especially when they are not committed to stable relationships.
At the same time, these practices were not observed in the LGBTQ college community. According to Lamont et al., “LGBTQ students are sharply critical of dominant hookup culture and aim to challenge heteronormative practices by deconstructing normative patterns of behavior, emphasizing communication and consent, and queering standards of pleasure” (1). In other words, following the values of their culture, LGBTQ people tend to show respect to all people regardless of their gender, age, race, and individual peculiarities.
In general, it is possible to say that LGBTQ co-culture is acknowledged by a dominant culture of the United States, however, its representatives still face discrimination, stigmatization, and stereotyping. That is why it is essential to understand the main characteristics and features of LGBTQ culture to establish appropriate interaction with its followers. All in all, the representatives of a dominant culture should consider the main values of LGBTQ co-culture that respond to the core principles of humanity remembering that sexual orientation and gender identity remain personal characteristics the safety of which cannot be taken for granted. At the same time, it is normal to consider and meet the needs and demands of LGBTQ individuals as they do not impact the well-being of others. For example, according to Ben who was interviewed by Callwood and Smith, he experienced multiple challenges connected with a traditional sport environment created for heterosexual people, however, he had a strong desire to be involved in sporting activities (1705). In this case, it will be possible to create or enlarge infrastructure oriented for the LGBTQ community to guarantee the safety and comfort of its members. They have the same potential to contribute to the society of the United States.
Works Cited
Callwood, Daniel, and Matthew Smith. “Out on the Pitch: Sport and Mental Health in LGBT People.” Lancet, vol. 394, no. 10210, 2019, pp. 1704-1705.
Thus peer-reviewed article is dedicated to the influence of sport on the mental health of LGBTQ people. It is used for this research as it provides a personal insight of Ben, a homosexual interviewee, into the issue of sport availability for LGBTQ individuals and what role it plays in their lives. In addition, this study helps to perceive how understanding between LGBTQ co-culture and a dominant culture may be found.
Cech, Erin A., and William R. Rothwell. “LGBTQ Inequality in Engineering Education.” Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 107, no. 4, 2018, pp. 583-610.
This peer-reviewed article is dedicated to the examination of inequities in relation to LGBTQ people in education. As serious discrimination and stigmatization were detected, this research helps understand what LGBTQ-related disparities exist in different spheres of life in the United States.
Lamont, Ellen, et al. “Navigating Campus Hookup Culture: LGBTQ Students and College Hookups.” Sociological Forum, vol. 33, no. 4, 2018, pp. 1-23.
This study aims to investigate the differences of perception of campus hookup culture by LGBTQ and heterosexual students. It helps understand what attitude to other people, especially women, the representatives of LGBTQ culture have.
Margolies, Liz, and Carlton G. Brown. “Increasing Cultural Competence with LGBTQ Patients.” Nursing2019, vol. 49, no. 6, 2019, pp. 34-40.
This study provides an in-depth investigation of the issue of health care accessibility for LGBTQ patients. First of all, it is essential for a current research as it describes the structure, characteristics, and criteria for membership of LGBTQ community. Subsequently it refers to specific health care issues of LGBTQ people and how they are poorly addressed by the health care system. This research helps understand what LGBTQ-related disparities exist in different spheres of life in the United States.
McDermott, Elizabeth, et al. “Norms and Normalisation: Understanding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth, Suicidality and Help-Seeking.” Culture, Health & Sexuality, vol. 20, no. 2, 2018, pp. 156-172.
This article is also dedicated to the disparities in the health care system of the United States in relation to LGBTQ culture and its representatives. It states that a considerable number of them, especially young adults, face serious mental health issues and do not receive competent medical assistance. This research helps understand what LGBTQ-related disparities exist in different spheres of life in the United States.
Morris, Bonnie J. “History of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Social Movements.” American Psychological Association, Web.
Thus article from a reliable organization were used in a current research to provide a general understanding of the history of LGBTQ culture.
Morrison, Melanie A., et al. “A Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Composite LGBT Prejudice and Discrimination Scales.” Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 66, no. 4, 2019, pp. 549-570.
This article aims to investigate factors that contribute to the occurrence of prejudice and discrimination against the LGBTQ community. It was used to support evidence related to the attitude of a dominant culture represented through some of its representatives that exist in relation to LGBTQ co-culture.