In my lifetime, I have come across many people who were members of the LGBTQ community. I have also come across many people with physical disabilities. To my knowledge, however, I have never come across someone who was both. People with physical disabilities are often treated very differently from people without. Also, members of the LGBTQ community are also treated very differently than people who are heterosexual. This being said, I couldn't even imagine how hard it would be to be both a person with a physical disability as well as a member of the LGBTQ community. This article talks about a man who is a member of the LGBTQ community, as well as a person with a physical disability.
In the article, it talks about how this man was admitted into a residential care facility, I am assuming it was due to not being able to live on his own any longer. This particular facility allowed spouses or significant others to stay the night once in a while or stay over on weekends. However, due to him being a member of the LGBTQ community, the facility staff felt the rules should be different for him.
In my opinion, love is love. It doesn't matter who gives it to who, or what gender it is shared between. Your heart is going to love who it loves, and you can't stop it. You can't choose who you love, this being said, you do not choose to be categorized under LGBTQ. People also do not choose to be physically disabled. This man, for example, had multiple sclerosis. Most people I am sure know what MS is, if not you can go to this website to find out more. Chances are if you have had MS for a long time, you are either going to need someone living with you who really knows what they are doing, or you will need to be put into a facility. This, again, is not a choice people get to make, unfortunately. Do you think this man wanted to be living in a residential facility? Do you think he enjoyed being taken away from all of his possessions, his home, his partner? The least this facility could do is treat him like they treat everyone else!
I used to work in a personal care home. I may not be able to relate to how these people felt having to leave behind everything they've ever known. I may not be able to relate to these people moving into a room the size of maybe a bedroom, and not to mention having a ton of strangers around everywhere. I may not know how these people feel, but I have seen first hand how they react and how it affects them. I am sure moving into a personal care home for an older person is no different than moving into a care facility for a person with a disability. These people cried, they tried to leave and go home every chance they got, they were constantly asking the staff to take them home.
My point? Leaving everything behind is hard enough, the least they can do is treat the "different" people the same as everyone else, and give them the same rules.
-Amanda P.
Citations:
Owens, Tuppy (1993). Why this Leaflet Needs to be Written. Disabled and Homosexual 1. Retrieved from http://www.outsiders.org.uk/leaflets/disabled-and-homosexual
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. (2010, November 3). What is MS? Retrieved from http://mssociety.ca/en/information/ms_what.htm
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. (2010, November 3). What is MS? Retrieved from http://mssociety.ca/en/information/ms_what.htm
Very interesting post! It is really sad to see that the hospital felt the need to change the visiting hour rules for people who were homosexual.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately some people in our society feel that people who are homosexual aren't normal people, or are "sick" people. It is even more hurtful for the man dealing with the illness of MS and not being treated fairly.
I could never imagine how a person who is homosexual, and battling a physical disability is feeling. Probably very withdrawn and isolated from society. That is one of the key aspects that the Queer theory stresses is that equality (of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc) is a problem that still needs to develop in society.
-Jessica VL
I agree! Very interesting. I also have a huge concern for mistreated homosexuals. The worse part that shakes me is that he has MS, and the rules changed for him just because he had a same sex partner. What else can they take from him that he only has left?
ReplyDeleteIt's horrible what the media and society is doing to the world. They give us a sight that is seen to be RIGHT and a sight that is seen to be WRONG. I believe in equal opportunities for everyone, from homosexual to people with disabilities. You are right, people should not be mistreated if they love someone.
- Angelene S.
Jessica-
ReplyDeleteI agree. It really is sad that people don't accept homosexual people and/or people with disabilities into their society as "normal" people, or socially acceptable. They can't help the way they are or the way they feel.
Angel-
I also agree with this. The chances are that if someone is put into residential care that they don't have a whole lot of time left to live their life. They shouldn't have the last things they have that mean something to them taken away! It's just not fair.
-Amanda P.
Great post! I also have had many friends that were members of the queer community but were not physically disabled. I agree with you completely when you say love is love. It shouldn't matter to other members of society who loves who and it is unfair for people to judge and discriminate people who are gay. Do you think that people with physical disabilities who are also gay but have not told anyone choose to stay secretive about they're sexual preference because they know they will be discriminated against for being handicapped and don't want to be discriminated against for both?
ReplyDeleteAlexis B.