Introduction
A subculture is a subdivision of a national culture that comprises a mixture of factorable social characteristics such as regional, class status, rural or urban residence, rural background, a religious affiliation that have an integrated impact on the united members. Similar to culture, it involves emergent share values and understanding; however, unlike the culture, they are orthogonal to mainstream beliefs, interests, expectations, and interests. One is of interest in these social phenomena is the existence of a deviant subculture. Deviant subculture is one whose norms and values differ significantly from those of the mainstream society. The members of a deviant subculture often encounter considerable opposition, discrimination, rejection, and stigmatization from the mainstream culture. Examples of such deviant subculture that experience rejections include sexual and criminal subculture (Byne 194). LGBT is a deviant sexual subculture made up of members who are lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender. LGBT face severe discrimination in different parts of the world because of the nature of what they are advocating for as well as their sexuality and sexual practices.
The members of LGBT go against the values of mainstream society by practicing and advocating same-sex sexual relationships. In mainstream society, any acts of same-sex sexual activities such as sexual penetration, kissing, and marriage is an immoral act. The community, therefore, reject them and their actions as a way of discouraging the spread of the behavior to other people. LGBT people across the world, both in developed countries such as America and underdeveloped countries in Africa and Asia, face stigma and discrimination in different aspects of the society. The stigma can be in the form of political, social, and even economic discrimination (Byne 195). In the political realm, some countries have to criminalize any aspect of homosexuality. As of 2019, there are only 28 countries in the world, which recognize same-sex marriage, while six countries impose the death penalty for same-sex sexual acts. LGBT members living in countries that do not recognize same-sex marriage live in fear of being imprisoned and even executed. As a result, some have opted to migrate to other countries, where the law is lenient on their activities. For example, many members of LGBT have migrated away from Uganda since 2014, when the parliament substituted life imprisonment with the death penalty for homosexuality related offense (Mallory and Sears 34). However, in countries where same-sex marriage is allowed, the members of the group still face a high level of stigma. For example, in the U.S, gay men who have decided to be parents are often treated with suspicion and criticism from the mainstream society and even some of their fellow gays. Besides, they face isolation in their parental roles as well as barriers in the process of adopting children (Turner 35). Gay men who sired children in a heterosexual relationship often encounter challenges in obtaining custody of their children. The reason why they are often denied custody is that society strongly believes that children need their mother to grow into socially and healthy human beings.
In the United States, discrimination of LGBT members in the health sector has been a significant concern for their health. Such a nature of discrimination has created significant obstacles for members of the group to realize their rights to healthcare services. As a result, LGBT members find it challenging to access healthcare service that deals with HIV prevention and treatment, hormone replacement therapy, as well as reproductive and fertility service. Since a significant number of healthcare facilities are owned by religious institutions that LGBT members are often denied medical services in these facilities. LGBT patients who seek treatment in private, public and mission hospitals have reported having been denied therapy, counseling, checkup, and even primary care services (Langlois 80). The laws allowing medical service providers to offers treatment to LGBT members at their discretions make it even more difficult for those in the subculture to access the service. Apart from discrimination in healthcare, LGBT members also face stigma in the places of work. Many employers avoid employing LGBT members, while those working face discrimination in job promotions. In most cases, they live with the fear of get fired because of their sexual orientation.
Ways to Join
There are several ways in which people can join LGBT groups. One of the most popular to connect with other members of the group is through social media such as Twitter and Facebook. On Facebook, there are several LGBT groups that members can join. In schools and colleges, several LGBTQIA groups provide support to its members. Besides, developed societies have offer community centers, mentoring programs, and sports leagues to members of the LBGT subculture (Langlois 82). The main challenge facing people who want to join or exit these groups is a lack of trust and confidentiality. In a society where the same-sex sexual relationship is not accepted, many members prefer to remain anonymous. People may, therefore, find it difficult to expose their sexual orientation if they join or exit such groups.
The leading roles of LGBT groups are to empower and advocate for the acceptance of its members in the mainstream society. With the members of the groups facing serious discriminations that interfere with their social, economic, political, and psychological development, the platform provides an opportunity to champion their rights (Turner 37). In the U.S., LGBT groups have been at the forefront advocating for health reforms that allow its members to get quality medical services without prejudice. Additionally, it provides financial resources required to empower members as well to push the authorities to accept and protect them against discrimination (Mallory and Sears 30). In general, LGBT organizations provide various types of support to gays, lesbians, and bisexual individuals, thus helping them through difficult times and even assisting them in developing a positive identity. The benefits that members get include: having mentors relationships with others as well as meeting and being with other people of their kind. Such activities of the LGBT group have a positive impact on the formation of their identity as homosexuals.
One of the most prevalent misconceptions about LGBT is the assumption that homosexuality is a socially acquired phenomenon. As a result, society expect gay people to unlearn and quit being homosexual at their will. Recent studies indicate homosexuality traces its origin to the biological and genetic components of an individual (Mallory and Sears 34). As a result, homosexuality arises from nature and not nurture. It is, therefore, not possible to influence a child's sexual orientation by exposing them to homosexuality.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is evident that LGBT is a deviant subculture. The group experienced significant stigma because its members support same-sex sexual relationships. Members of the groups face discrimination in almost every aspect of their lives, including in the social, economic, and political environment. Due to the high level of discrimination faced by the members, the role of the group is to empower them and champion their rights. The greatest misconception about the members of the group is the belief that homosexuality is a socially acquired condition but not biological.
