Students Discrimination in Employment free essay sample

The Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan (2006) once said that â€Å"Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance. † However, despite this and all of the actions done by the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) groups, gender discrimination is still visible in our country especially in the sectors of employment, education and society. It is evident in the recent years that the number of LGBTs in these sectors has been increasing and many of them have already experienced gender inequality. These result to different consequences in the life of LGBT individuals. That is why our study decided to focus on these three sectors. This paper will disclose facts about the stands and opinions of the concerned LGBTs that will help the government to see this problem and address to it immediately. We believe that the government should do actions to minimize, if not eliminate, the above-mentioned discrimination issue in the different sectors of the country because they are the most capable to do so. Background Gender equality has always been an issue in the Philippines. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) are experiencing various kinds of discrimination in different sectors of society; however, the government is still not exerting much effort to solve this problem. That is because the people in the government do not comprehend the gravity of the matter, leaving them with the thought that there is no serious problem regarding sexual-orientation discrimination. Reasons why discrimination against LGBT in the country still exists include lack of legislation that protects them from discrimination of multiple reasons, such as gender identity, sexual orientation and Filipino traditions, beliefs and values (Alcantara, Batac, Canlas, Fernando, and Garcia, 2013). Religion is the primary basis of Filipino’s practices and traditions, thus, most of them consider LGBT as immoral and sinful. Since 1999, many Discrimination Bills have been filed in congress by the legislators, however, until now, there is no single bill that protects the LGBT from gender discrimination has enacted into a law. Consequently, LGBT individuals still experiencing unjust treatment from other parties, and are constantly deprived of equal rights in many aspects of humanity. This study will focus on discrimination against the LGBT in three aspects – employment, education and community. It will provide responses from the involved individuals that will help the government address the problems regarding this issue. Body (1st main pt) The government should do actions to minimize, if not eliminate, gender discrimination as we cannot deny the fact that many Filipino LGBT College students are experiencing different types of discrimination especially in employment, education, and society. There are companies in the country that block the promotion of LGBT employees, and worse is that they do not even hire LGBT individuals as they believe that homosexuality denotes weakness and immorality. In fact, 15 to 43 percent of gays experienced different kinds of harassment and inequality in employment (Burns and Krehely, 2011). Furthermore, based on a 2008 study of the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law, â€Å"27 percent of lesbian, gay, or bisexual workers had been harassed or discriminated against at work on the basis of their sexual orientation† (Badgett and Mallory, 2012). Moreover, the General Social Survey (GSS), â€Å"show [sic] that over one in four LGBT employees report discriminatory treatment in the workplace in past the five years, and over one-third are not out to anyone at work† (Mallory and Sears, 2011). Likewise, according to Pizer, Mallory, Sears, and Hunter (2012), â€Å"millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers remain vulnerable to employment discrimination absent further federal protections against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination†. Miss Pao Alcantara (personal communication, November 15, 2013), a member of the organization of LGBT students from the University of the Philippines, told us through an interview that: It is really difficult to be an LGBT  individual in the Philippines. For one, it’s really hard to come out as an LGBT because of the fear that our families won’t accept us, or people will judge us because of our sexual orientation and gender identity. We also see discrimination everywhere, from the companies not accepting transgender applicants, or firing employees who do homosexual acts†¦. For now, it’s really difficult. But I hope that it will change through time. Recent studies reveal that more big companies abroad are now accepting LGBT in their companies. Discrimination among these LGBT is diminishing in other countries. They can get promoted and are given greater work responsibilities based on their abilities (Hewlett Sumberg, 2011). According to a 1996 Newsweek magazine poll cited by Fitch (1997), a majority of American voters and even successful companies are conformed in the equality for gays and lesbians in the workplace. Likewise, Human Rights Campaign studies revealed that more than 300 employers are also giving benefit to the LGBT employees and are supporting their groups. Furthermore, different organizations such as Servicemember LegalDefense Network, The Gay, Lesbian Straight Teachers Network, and the Interfaith Working Group are working together to advocate the anti-discrimination. However, in our country, LGBT employees still experiencing unfair treatment from their employers and co-workers. In fact, Ms. Pao shared a story where she had experienced discrimination at work: Another happened in a government agency where I took my internship last summer. During the interview, the interviewer from the HR of that agency told me that I passed all the qualifications but he will not accept me if I continue dressing up as a woman. He wanted me to wear men’s slacks and men’s shoes and men’s polo even though I am not comfortable wearing those things. (P. Alcantara, personal communication, November 15, 2013) People say that the LGBT does not need to be protected from discrimination in employment because it is the discretion of the employer which applicant is to hire. Conversely, the basis for hiring and promotion should be purely based on merits, credentials and ability of the applicants and employees. In fact, we should all respect every individual as pinoy politics (2013) mentioned in his article that the LGBT should never be deprived of equal rights and governmental and societal support because they, as well, are human beings who are giving the same types of contributions to the country. Also, Alcantara (personal communication, November 15, 2013) mentioned in her interview that â€Å"in employment, our sexual orientation and gender identity should not be a factor. Employers should look at our credentials, or our qualifications, not on our sexual orientation. It has nothing to do with our performance at work†. Due to this, experts and young people call for increased respect for the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people in Asia. According to the Embassy of the United States (2013), â€Å"LGBT activists emphasized the importance of enacting anti-discrimination laws, particularly in education, health, employment [emphasis mine], family affairs, media, community and politics in a public discussion convened by the United Nations Development Programme, United States Agency for International Development and its Regional Development Mission for Asia, and UP†. Body (2nd main pt) As college students, LGBT students are already surrounded with people who already fully express their own opinion and feelings. For them it is inevitable for other people to express their own opinion for or against LGBTs. It is also common for schools and colleges to have stereotypes within them. From the cool jocks to the nice girls, the LGBT are mostly categorized at the bottom of the social pyramid. The people who think badly of these LGBTs can be called â€Å"homophobes,† which is described by Webster (2013) as a person who hates homosexuals badly. These homophobes makes the LGBTs feel unsafe, in addition to the fact that mostly there are no any laws or school policies that protect their rights. Hence, the government should do actions to help these students feel safe and free from any kind of discrimination in their education. Yet, some people believe that LGBT does not need to be protected from discrimination in education because discrimination does not exist in the first place. On the contrary, the surveys conducted by AAMCs Group on Student Affairs (GSA) and Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) found that discrimination in education had an undeniable existence. Furthermore, according to Burns and Krehely (2011), â€Å"studies show that anywhere from 15 percent to 43 percent of gay people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment at the workplace. Moreover, a staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job†. As a matter of fact, due to the fear of rejection and being bullied, some youths do not come out of their closet, making them remain as a closet LGBT. Moreover, some big and popular colleges and universities in the Philippines also committing gender discrimination. According to Alcantara et al. , (2013), â€Å"the Philippine Normal University in Manila barred effeminate gay students from having long hair, applying make-up, or wearing earrings inside the campus†¦. † (p. 3). Likewise, â€Å"In San Beda College in Manila, masculinity tests used to be imposed on presumably gay students. Students can? t [sic] enrol if they fail the arbitrary test† which indicates their â€Å"perception of masculinity† (Bagas, 2008). Consequently, many gay students are trying to hide their sexual orientation to enter the said College. Moreover, some teachers made their gay students stand in front of the class just because they were acting as a girl (Alcantara et al. , 2013). Transgender individuals were even â€Å"made to leave the classroom or threatened [emphasis mine] with being barred from graduating† because of their sexual orientation (Alcantara et al. , 2013, p. 4). Another case was about Perci Cendana, the first openly gay chairperson of the University Council (USC) of UP, who experienced homophobic propaganda with phrases like: â€Å"Perci Kadiri and Bading wag iboto† during the campaign period. These circumstances indicate that gender discrimination in education is getting worse. Body (3rd main pt) Also, discrimination against LGBT college students in the country from violent community should be solved by the government. We observe that many LGBT individuals were not allowed to enter some establishments in the country due to policies on â€Å"dress codes†. Health institutions also treating the LGBT unfairly and less important, and offers them limited access to their services. Likewise, LGBT people experience discrimination from police and military institutes by not allowing them to join their institutions because of the existence of their policies which are biased against the LGBT (Alcantara et al. , 2013). As a matter of fact, some LGBT members mentioned that being â€Å"gay† is not really fun â€Å"in the Philippines† (Ribaya, 2013). Research shows that LGBT people have â€Å"reduced access to medical care† wherein they are waiting longer than heterosexual people when seeking treatment, and they are also â€Å"less well screened for health conditions† than those of straight individuals (Better Health Channel, 2011). Some of the issues they face according to Better Health Channel (2011) include: â€Å"The majority of gay men and lesbians have had experience of homophobic health professionals†, â€Å"Gay men and lesbians may experience difficulties communicating with medical professionals because of the fear that they may need to ‘come out’ during the consultation and risk receiving less favourable [sic] treatment as a result†, â€Å"The right to provide ‘medical consent’ may be refused to same sex partners, in spite of the fact that it is now illegal to do so†, â€Å"Gay men and lesbians may be reluctant to have their sexuality recorded in their histories due to the fear that others may gain access to their records†, and â€Å"Reduced access to services leads to reduced levels of screening in gay and lesbian populations. This is likely to account for the higher levels of some cancers in these groups†. Although almost all of health insti tutions claim that they treat everyone the same, it is clear and obvious that LGBT individuals still experiencing unjust treatments in this specific sector of society. â€Å"Sometimes health professionals chase them [LGBT people] away unknowingly† (Moyer, 2011). â€Å"Gay and lesbian people do not need special medical treatment, but they do need treatment that is fair and appropriate† (Better Health Channel, 2011). Furthermore, recently studies show that LGBT in the armed forces â€Å"were forced to keep their sexuality a secret or risk being discharged—a risk that would become a certainty if attempting to marry a person of the same sex† (Cray and Miller, 2013). For some reasons, Marisol Castillo Aragones, a representative of Lagunas 3rd District, said that there should police desks that will protect the LGBT people since the rate of â€Å"human rights violations† on LGBTs are significantly increasing (Ancheta 2013). In fact, the ProGay Philippines gave a report to the UN Human Rights Council However, people say that that they have also the right on how they want to treat everyone, including LGBT individuals. LGBTs are not superior to have special treatments, and heterosexual people have their own opinion, thoughts and beliefs that needed to be respect as well. Then again, the LGBTs are humans as well and they should be treated equally as heterosexual persons. Human rights apply to them as well, as Theodore Roosevelt once said â€Å"No man is above the law, and no man is below it†. Conclusion: LGBT people, even at this generation, are still experiencing different types of discrimination due to their sexual orientation. We may observe that in different sectors of society: education, employment and community. The surveys and interview the researchers conducted indicate that LGBTs are not satisfied with how the government responds with their grievances and complaints about the discrimination issue against them. After so many years of struggling and fighting to pass the Anti-Discrimination Law, the government still do nothing to materialize the law. The approval of the said law will certainly minimize, or even root off, the inequality between homosexual and heterosexual people. According to Articlebase (2011), â€Å"hundreds of thousands of transgender, lesbians and gay men are victims of discrimination in hiring policies, wage levels, benefits and other workplace benefits†. Moreover, the problem regarding to the issue is so â€Å"so pervasive that the victims are not even painfully aware that they suffer inequalities in quality of life and legal benefits†. However, there is still a hope for these people to attain equality and fair treatment. According to ProGay Philippines (2011), â€Å"a bill filed in the House of Representatives in 2010 aims to correct these inequities and provide hope to some eight million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Filipinos†. Furthermore, â€Å"Anti-Discrimination Bill† will provide the society, including LGBT Filipinos, â€Å"at large the legal definition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI for short† (ProGay Philippines, 2011). Moreover, Senator Loren Legarda (2011) said in the Senate of the Philippines that: This measure [Anti-Discrimination Bill] will lessen, if not eliminate, cases of discrimination in the Philippine society as it penalizes acts of discrimination, profiling, violence, and all forms of intolerance in employment, education, delivery of goods, facilities and services, accommodation, transportation, media, in search and investigatory activities, and in political, civil, cultural and social life on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, disability and other status. Moreover, the said measure seeks to impart to Filipino youth the importance and value of respect to the â€Å"identity, affiliation, status and preferences of other people†¦ from primary to tertiary levels, discussions on discriminations based on ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, disability, or other status† (Senate of the Philippines, 2011).