Persuasive Speech On Mass Shootings

The U.S. prides itself on the guarantee of equal rights and freedoms for all people. Yet, the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning/Queer) community does not have the rights they have been promised. The recent win for marriage equality was a great triumph for LGBTQ people all around, but the fight to obtain acceptance from the community is far from over. The community still experiences vast forms of prejudice, ranging from being profiled as mentally ill to an extreme such as mass shootings, like Pulse last year. The rights of the LGBTQ community should be equal to that of the rest of the world. Recovery from attacks like, The Pulse and equal military rights are still a struggle. Also, despite the recent marriage victory,

Support for LGBTQs in Florida grew after the shooting. Unfortunately, there was not enough support to cause much change,“It is legal for Floridians to be denied housing, public accommodations, and even fired simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity” (“Pulse Survivor”). Moreover, Florida’s governor Rick Scott had promised his state he would give all people equal rights, but he has yet to act on his word. Compared to the long fight for equal rights the Pulse shooting would be considered recent history. Military service, however, has been argued over since 1949. In 1949 a ban was put in place to prevent LGBTQs from serving in the military. Later, there was the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (“LGBTQ”). This phrase symbolizes how people had to hide their true selves in order to serve their country. A commonly known definition of this phrase states that this was designed to stop people from coming out in the military. Moreover, it also stopped others from asking if a person was LGBTQ, forcing them to either lie or come out. This policy did not lift the ban it just made it harder to find out if a person was straight. The policy had been lifted in 2010, President Obama signed a bill that would repeal the ban on LGBTQs in military service (“LGBTQ”). The removal of the ban would make it safe for them to embrace who they are while in service. Sadly, President Donald

Unfortunately, newlywed gay couples have had an increase in attacks (Park and Iaryna). Since couples can now be legally married, they are now more exposed to attacks and prejudice than before. Employers will know when one of their workers recently wed and can easily find out who they married and possibly fire the employee. Furthermore, the same marriage benefits are not granted to LGBTQ couples. Some states, like Michigan, are trying to prevent same-sex married couples from sharing the same benefits as straight couples. Taking away these rights would be devastating to the families that depend on them to function. For example, some families depend on the health insurance that is provided by the work of one couple that could lose their job at any moment. If insurance would be taken away and one of them falls ill or becomes injured, they would not be able to afford the care required. The issue of, “Gender identity discrimination in insurance, denial of insurance coverage” is still a prominent problem today (“Pulse Survivor”). Some married gay couples are not allowed to see each other in the hospital because they are not granted the benefit to care for their spouses, unlike their straight