During the
spring 2015 semester, I took an education and urban studies course called
“Exploring Urban Diversity: Why Race, Gender, and Class Matter.” One of the
class assignments was to read the article, “Sexual Orientation and Transgender
Microaggressions: Implications for Mental Health and Counseling,” by Kevin L.
Nadal, David P. Rivera, and Melissa J. H. Corpus. The article discussed the impacts
of microaggression, which was
described as discrimination done in a subtle and often unconscious way on part
of an aggressor, on the everyday experiences of LGBT individuals (Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender) and other minority groups – specifically African
Americans. According to the authors, sexual orientation/transgender
microaggressions and racial microaggressions were interrelated because LGBT
individuals and African Americans shared a common subordinate status and
suffered from discrimination in the United States. The article demonstrated the
sense of superiority fostered by the heteronormative culture and conception of
white supremacy within American society.
While I agreed with the authors that sexual orientation/transgender microaggressions could be compared to racial microaggressions, I did not agree with the three differences between sexual orientation/transgender microaggressions and racial microaggressions they talked through. First, the authors claimed that it was more acceptable to be blatantly heterosexist/homophobic or genderist/transphobic than it was to be racist or sexist in America. Personally, I think that all minority groups are equally at risk of being targets of discrimination. Both LGBT individuals and African Americans face circumstances of subordination daily. Second, the authors stated that microaggressions toward LGBT individuals would likely be more common than toward people of color. Again, I disagreed with this point because although microaggressions were defined as unconscious and not realized by perpetrators – i.e. stereotypes – they were still oppressive and supported the constructed white-male dominant culture in American society, which ultimately would make all minorities victims of microaggressions. Third, the authors stressed that the values of religious families would make people discriminate more against LGBT individuals than people of color. I found this difference to be a very controversial and inaccurate assertion. Since African Americans were not Christians and considered brute and violent, the Europeans believed that it was their moral obligation to keep African Americans enslaved as a means of social control. The authors clearly overlooked the fact that Europeans used Christianity to justify the African American slave trade and slavery in the United States. Although many of the religions practiced in the United States contain a heteronormative perspective and do not support homosexuality, more churches throughout the nation have become open to incorporating same-sex marriage services.
While I agreed with the authors that sexual orientation/transgender microaggressions could be compared to racial microaggressions, I did not agree with the three differences between sexual orientation/transgender microaggressions and racial microaggressions they talked through. First, the authors claimed that it was more acceptable to be blatantly heterosexist/homophobic or genderist/transphobic than it was to be racist or sexist in America. Personally, I think that all minority groups are equally at risk of being targets of discrimination. Both LGBT individuals and African Americans face circumstances of subordination daily. Second, the authors stated that microaggressions toward LGBT individuals would likely be more common than toward people of color. Again, I disagreed with this point because although microaggressions were defined as unconscious and not realized by perpetrators – i.e. stereotypes – they were still oppressive and supported the constructed white-male dominant culture in American society, which ultimately would make all minorities victims of microaggressions. Third, the authors stressed that the values of religious families would make people discriminate more against LGBT individuals than people of color. I found this difference to be a very controversial and inaccurate assertion. Since African Americans were not Christians and considered brute and violent, the Europeans believed that it was their moral obligation to keep African Americans enslaved as a means of social control. The authors clearly overlooked the fact that Europeans used Christianity to justify the African American slave trade and slavery in the United States. Although many of the religions practiced in the United States contain a heteronormative perspective and do not support homosexuality, more churches throughout the nation have become open to incorporating same-sex marriage services.
For a topic not explicitly covered—or covered well enough—in our primary education, it is interesting to me how grounded our college learning—and academic comparisons—are grounded in racial theory. My reading for this class talked about the impacts of microaggressions on people with disabilities. My article too compared these microgressions with racial microagressions. In class too, I felt like we spent half the semester talking about how race and ethnicity shapes our lives, which just goes to show how engrained these differences are in our society. It was not until the end of our course that we began to examine the intersection of all these factors and trying to piece together how the white, heteronormative, and patriarchal society we live in really affects us everyday.
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