Diversity Organizations Worksheet
Search the Internet for information
related to the following:
·
Women’s rights organizations
·
Equality organizations
·
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) rights organizations
Note. You may also refer to the
Internet Resource Directory of Racial and
Ethnic Groups.
Complete the following table with
notes and thoughts related to your findings:
|
Site
|
Thoughts/Notes
|
|
http://now.org/
|
This is a
great site that has a lot of information about women's rights. There are a
lot of articles and activities to search through.
|
|
http://www.equalityfederation.org/
|
This is a
site about equality that has a lot of news and different ways you can take
action. It has activities and news for each state.
|
|
http://www.iglhrc.org
|
This site
has lots of news from around the world and there are ways you can take
action, support their foundation, and read publications.
|
Use your notes to aid in your
responses to the questions below. You may need additional resources from the
University Library to complete this activity.
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?
·
What is the status of women in
the U.S. today?
·
What are some examples of
concepts or constructions of masculinity and femininity that you see in society
and in media?
·
Historically, what has been
the social status of GLBT people?
·
What is the status of GLBT
people in the U.S. today?
·
What are some social and political
issues relevant to women and GLBT people in the U.S.?
Provide citations for all the sources you use.
Submit this Diversity Organizations
worksheet and your paper as instructed by your facilitator.
Women have
been discriminated against throughout the history of the United States. They
don't make as much money as men on average and don't hold as high of jobs in
society as men, in general. They have been thought of as being more domestic
and taking care of the kids in the past, where as the man would work and make
the money. This is something that has been going on for hundreds of years but
in recent history, there have been massive leaps for equality with women. In
1966, the National Organization for Women was created (1) and this is an
organization that has fought for women's rights ever since. In 1967, President
Johnson passed Executive Order 11375 which stated that employers must ensure
that all employees are treated equal and they must all have equal opportunities
in the company, regardless of race, religion, or gender (1). This was a huge
step forward for everybody in the country and it gave many people opportunities
that they might not have had before. Throughout the 60's and 70's, there were
many laws that were reformed and policies in companies and in society to make
women more equal, not only in the work place, but in society. Regardless of all
these steps forward, the media still portrays women as domestic with TV shows
having the man going to work, and the woman taking care of the kids. They are
often portrayed as doing the dishes, being stay at home mom's, and cleaning the
house. There are TV shows that show women in a more strong sense, but there
aren't near as many of them as the stereotypical sitcom construct. Many sitcoms
have this construct even today. Not only do they portray women stereotypically,
they often portray men as tough, and rugged. The media portrays men as people
who don't cry, who go to work and support the family, when in reality, there
are many men who are stay at home dads and who cook and clean. However, there
are very few shows that portray this type of male. Most people actually believe
in the concept of men don't cry, men do the work, and women stay home and take
care of the kids. This has been the layout for a long time, but in recent years
many people are growing up not thinking like this.
Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transsexual people have also been discriminated against
in the United States throughout history. One of the oldest laws that was aimed
at the gay community was called a "crime against nature" that stated
any form of sexual behavior that is considered not natural is a crime. Sodomy
is just one of the types of laws that the police could arrest gay people for.
In 1903, the New York police raided a gay bathhouse and arrested 26 men and
charged them with sodomy (2). They got sentenced anywhere from 4 to 20 years in
prison for this crime (2). These laws have since been removed with Illinois
being the first state to remove the sodomy law in 1961 (2). Society is much
more accepting of the GLBT community today and it is much easier for the GLBT
to be more involved and treated equal. Newer generation are much more accepting
of the GLBT community and there have been TV shows, movies, music, and other forms
of media that portray the GLBT community in a positive light that would not
have been allowed before. In 1975, Minneapolis became the first city in the
United States to pass "trans-inclusive civil rights protection
legislation" (2). I think this is great and it makes me proud to be from
Minnesota and have it be known as an accepting place to live. As generations
keep being raised with more open minds, they will be even more accepting and
treat others equal all over the country.
Issues that
affect both women and the GLBT community are still around the country. Fights
for equal rights in the workplace and society are still going on today. In many
states it is still illegal for gays to get married which forces them to go to
other states to get married and go back to the state where they live, although
their native state will still not recognize the marriage. Women still make less
money than men, in general, and they still are not holding as many political
jobs. Of course there has never been a women president or vice president. There
are also many more men than women working in other political positions.
However, in the future, just like the GLBT community will become more accepted,
women will become more accepted working political and more powerful jobs. Of
course there are always exceptions to this, such as Hillary Clinton and Janet
Napolitano (Secretary, Department of Homeland Security) but statistically, men
hold many more powerful jobs.
Sources
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_women_in_the_United_States
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_LGBT_history
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_against_nature
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