How Identity, Privilege and Inequalities Affects Women and the

LGBTQ Community.

There are so many issues facing our society today. Some of the

biggest issues I think are identity, privilege and inequalities. I

think these topics are so relevant today because they are so big,

and they encompass so many different issues. However, as a

society we are no closer to fixing the gaps between people that

these issues cause. Ill look into these topics in order to figure out

if there really is a way that we can fix the gap between people.

Help the less fortunate, and really embrace how lucky we are as

people in America.

I think identity is something we all face throughout our lifetime.

Whether it be negatively or positively. Who we are as a person is

something that we should reflect on. However, in todays society,

there is something called, societal norm. They include things

like the way you talk, the color of your skin, or things as silly as

the way you dress. However, not fitting into these societal norms
now makes you a target for unwanted attention, for example,

bullies. Nowadays one of the biggest issues facing our

generation is the idea of gender identity. According to the human

rights campaign, gender identification is defined as Ones

innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or

neither- how individuals perceive themselves and what they call

themselves. Ones gender identity can be the same or different

from their sex assigned at birth.1 The issue with today is that

more and more people are starting to identify with the opposite

sex that they were assigned to at birth. This can create huge

psychological problems, damage, and possibly even suicidal

thoughts. They are unable to be properly identified who they

are. They feel a certain way, but people keep telling them that

this is not normal. For example, the story of the child named

Ryland. Although he was born a little girl he chose to become a

little boy. Gender identification can happen with children as

young as Ryland, from anywhere between the first few years of

life to later on as an adult.2 As soon as the child starts to

1 Campaign, Human Rights. Human Rights Campaign. N.p., n.d.

Web. 01 Apr. 2017.

2 http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/18/living/feat-transgender-child-
raising-ryland/
understand the difference between little boys and little girls they

can chose to identify with the opposite gender. Although I do not

agree with the story of Ryland, it shows you that being able to

identify with your gender, and who you are as a person is one of

the greatest gifts that unfortunately is not given to everybody.

Most of us have no doubt in our mind whether we are a boy or a

girl, unfortunately for those of us that struggle with this it can be

extremely hard on not only the child, but also on the family. We

have to appreciate that us identifying with a specific gender,

usually the same sex we were assigned to at birth is actually a

gift.

Being privileged is something that has been given to some and

not to others since the beginning of time. We can define privilege

as a set of unearned benefits given to people who fit in into a

specific social group.3 As discussed in class, the most privileged

people in our society are Caucasian males. I think part of reason

for this is that our society is run by white men. After that there is

3 Privilege 101: A Quick and Dirty Guide by Sian Ferguson pg.

352
a debate on who is more privileged between men of other races,

or Caucasian females. I personally think men of other races are

more privileged then Caucasian females. They asked a group of

students to stand in a line holding hands. They then asked the

students questions and depending on their answer they either

took a step back, or a step forward. Step forward indicated

privilege for that answer. The group consisted of different

genders, different sexual orientation and different ethnicities. Not

surprisingly the one at the front was a straight, Caucasian male.

However, people that ranged from Caucasian women, to an

African American male were all somewhere in the middle. One

that did surprise me was an African American female who was,

by a lot, further at the back. Now I know that she was also gay,

this also played a part on her privilege.4 It goes to show you that

just by the color of your skin, or who you love can change the

amount of privilege that you have almost immediately. I can

almost guarantee you that if she were the same exact women

but she had been straight, she would not have been as far in the

back as she was. Unfortunately, I know that many people

4 BuzzFeedYellow. YouTube. YouTube, 04 July 2015. Web. 02 Apr.

2017.
experience some sort of lack of privilege due to their skin color,

there ethnicity, and/or their sexual orientation. We shouldnt

classify people into categories because of their skin color, or

because of who they chose to love. Diversity is what makes

America great. Unfortunately, the people who experience the

least amount of privilege is the LGBTQ community. They

experience a lot of negativity because of who they are. Being a

white woman is hard, being a trans women is harder.5 It is up to

the privileged part of the community to make sure that all

people, different races, different ethnicity, and the LGTBQ

community all experience the same opportunities, and are given

the same chances as the privileged part of the population. We

need to allow and encourage the more privileged, to help the

less privileged.

We all face inequalities in our life. Whether it be being born in a

poor family compared to a wealthy one. Or being a female

instead of a male. These are some of the inequalities that some

5 Privilege 101: A Quick and Dirty Guide by Sian Ferguson pg.

354
of us face. As a child, we are blessed with ignorance. We dont

realize just how unfair the world is around us really is. One of the

biggest inequalities we face is gender. Being a woman you are

automatically not seen as equal to a man. Although in the United

States many women have started a war, you could call it, against

these untrue beliefs, there are many places around the world

where women are barely seen as human beings. Pointing out that

men are privileged in no way denies that bad things happen to

them.6 For example it states in the male Privilege check list

article that men die in war, just because they are privileged does

not mean they are given everything for free. However, the same

article states that non-the less women still do not run the

country, and on average, men make more money than women.7

These are inequalities that women should not have to face just

because we are born a female. Unfortunately, the inequalities we

face as women I think just increase if you are part of the LGTBQ

community. Although we are doing so much to try and stop this

stigma of isolating people just by who, or what they chose to

identify with, there is still a huge gap. Although the movement

6 The Male Privileged Checklist by Peggy McIntosh pg. 404

7 The Male Privileged Checklist by Peggy McIntosh pg. 404
for gay rights is getting bigger and bigger, and trying to minimize

the gaps between what we see as normal society and the

LGBTQ society, the idea of biphobia I think has never been

greater.8 People chose to hate these people without really

knowing them, either because of their own morals, possibly due

to the values they are taught at church, but this is an inequality

that the LGTBQ community face automatically. There are always

inequalities that we will face no matter what gender we are, or

no matter what sex we chose to identify with. However, it is up to

us as women, and as people from the LGTBQ community to try

and stop these inequalities. Fighting for same rights, equal pay

and equal opportunities I think is something that should be

supported. It is up to the most privileged in our community, like

Caucasian men, and I would dare say women who are like me,

although we are not men, we are still given opportunities that

many are not, to fight for these inequalities and make sure that

our voices are heard.

8 http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2013/01/a-
comprehensive-list-of-lgbtq-term-
definitions/#sthash.d7ISwleu.WnFCPfbd.dpbs
What makes the United States, and many other westernized

countries so great is the diversity that comes with living in these

countries. However, with diversity, there is always some that

resent this idea of change. As a society, and a community we are

always and constantly changing in order to adapt. However,

change for many people is scary. This is why the idea of women

having more rights scars many men because it is a new idea

that has only been really present for the last 50 years. The idea

that the LGBTQ community could become normal is also

something that is scary as it has never been done before. Due to

these changes women and the LGTBQ community face identity

issues, privilege issues and also inequalities. The more we fight

for these issues the more we can change the idea of what

normal is in the United States. We will always face inequalities

when it comes to being a woman, because there are somethings,

that will never be equal to being a man, like strength. But it is up

to women, and the LGBTQ community to try and minimize these

gaps as much as possible, and strive, and push forward with all

the amazing opportunities that we are given in the United States,

instead of focusing on the ones we arent given.

Name: Virginie Laurie-Anne Truchon-Thibeault
College: Salt Lake Community College
Course: Introduction to Humanities
Humanities paper #2
Identity, Privilege and Inequalities
Word Count: 1663
Date: 06/04/2017