Inequity in Public and Private Spaces Faced by LGBTQ+ in Canada
Problem-Solution Essay Instructions
Students are required to select a specific marginalized youth group (e.g., LGBTQ+ youth, Indigenous youth, etc.) and examine an inequity this group has experienced in Canada across one specific domain (e.g., education, healthcare, justice system, etc.).
You may work with a partner, but this is optional
Using a minimum of four peer-reviewed journal articles, students will prepare a problem-solution essay on their selected topic. Students will propose practical solutions to help promote equity and/or eradicate discrimination against their selected population. You may discuss the experiences of youth with intersecting identities (e.g., racial minorities who identify as LGBTQ+) but this is not mandatory. General topics may include, but are not limited to:
• The overrepresentation of ethnic and racial minority youth in Canada’s criminal justice system
• Health inequities experienced by Indigenous youth
• Barriers to educational services for children with disabilities
• Employment discrimination against a specific group (e.g., youth with disabilities, racialized youth, immigrant youth, etc.)
• Homelessness and housing experiences among LGBTQ+ youth
• Gender inequality in the workplace among adolescents
• Mental health disparities among transgender youth
• The criminalization of youth with mental health disorders
• Health disparities between children of low and high socioeconomic statuses
Essay Structure
Your paper should be 6 – 8 pages double-spaced, excluding the title page and reference list.
Introduction (approximately ½ - 1 page double-spaced)
• Using research, briefly introduce the problem. Who is the marginalized youth group you will be examining? What type of inequity are they currently experiencing that you wish to examine? Make sure to narrow down your paper to an inequity experienced across one specific domain within the Canadian context.
o E.g., healthcare system, criminal justice system, child welfare system, etc.
• The problem/inequity should be introduced only in brief within your introduction. It will be revisited in greater detail later on.
• Your introduction should include a roadmap of what you will discuss throughout your paper (e.g., “This paper will first discuss XYZ. Then, XYZ will be discussed. Finally, this paper will conclude by…”)
• At the end of the introduction, you need to include a clear thesis statement. Your thesis statement should include your proposed solutions. E.g., “This paper argues that in order to combat racial discrimination in the justice system, Solutions A and B should be implemented.”
Describe the Problem (approximately 2 – 3 pages double-spaced)
• In greater detail now, elaborate on the inequity your selected population is experiencing across your selected domain.
• Include research studies and statistics to substantiate your claim that your targeted population is experiencing inequities within your selected domain (e.g., include statistics on racial disparities in the justice system).
o Remember, you are examining an issue within the Canadian-context. Therefore, this section must include Canadian-based research.
• Why does this inequity exist? What is/are the root cause(s) of this inequity?
• Explain why it is important to address the inequity selected.
Outline Your Solutions (approximately 3 – 4 pages double-spaced)
• Provide a minimum of two clear solutions that will help address the inequity examined and/or combat discrimination against your selected population.
• Provide evidence that your solutions will work using scholarly research.
• Focus on synthesizing research. To synthesize research means to blend studies together and assess the research as a whole (e.g., comparing/contrasting research).
• Critically assess your solutions. What are some strengths/benefits of implementing each solution? What are some potential challenges to implementing each solution and how might these challenges be overcome?
Conclusion (approximately ½ page double-spaced)
• Briefly re-iterate the problem discussed (i.e., your target population and the inequity examined).
• Re-state your thesis statement (i.e., the solutions you proposed).
• Summarize the supporting evidence for your proposed solutions.
• Conclude with a thought-provoking remark.
Additional Guidelines
• Double check that any information that is not common knowledge has been cited according to APA 7th edition guidelines.
o This is an excellent resource on APA: https://www(dot)trentu(dot)ca/academicskills/documentation-guide/apa-style
• Use third-person only.
• Avoid run-on sentences.
• You may use headings to separate your paragraphs (optional).
• Please do not use more than one direct quote for the entire paper.
Submitting to Blackboard
• Ensure your document is a Word file before uploading to Blackboard.
• If working with a partner, only one person will submit per pair.
o Ensure both names are clearly displayed on the title page.
Commonly Asked Questions
Do all of my sources have to be Canadian-based?
No, not all of your sources need to be Canadian-based. However, Canadian-based research is required when discussing the problem/inequity you wish to discuss. For example, if you are discussing inequities racialized youth face within the education system, you must provide Canadian-based statistics to illustrate this issue. “E.g., X% of racialized youth in Canada face the following treatment in schools…”. When discussing your proposed solutions, you can use non-Canadian based research.
Do my research sources have to be published within a certain time frame?
No, your sources do not have to be published within a certain time frame. Just make sure to gather scholarly sources.
Can I cite lectures or other scholarly sources, such as textbooks?
You MUST include a minimum of four peer-reviewed journal articles. If you wish to include additional scholarly sources (e.g., lecture materials, government reports, organization reports, etc.) you are permitted to do so, but this is not mandatory.
Topic: LGBTQ
-ACCEPTANCE & EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
i would like the essay to focus on discrimination and bullying in schools due to a lack of understanding and how schools should focus on educating and creating programs on how to be inclusive and creating a new mental health criteria that assists youth who are struggling in the LGBTQ community
LGBTQ
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Name and Number
Lecturer’s Name
Due Date
LGBTQ
The LGBTQ community has raised controversy in many countries, with some accepting it and others rejecting the practice. This group consists of the minority who face social problems, including discrimination. Discrimination creates an environment of exclusion, disrespect, and insecurity. In a school setting, discrimination hinders performance. The issue of discrimination against LGBTQ has permeated learning institutions, with observers pointing out that people who identify as LGBTQ continue to experience inequality in school (Burczycka, 2020). More recently, discussions on LGBTQ rights have gained prominence as members of this group and its allies draw attention to inequalities. As such, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in school represents an important topic for research and policy work (Burczycka, 2020). This paper will first discuss discrimination against LBTQ experienced in Canadian schools. It will then propose solutions that will help combat discrimination against LGBT students. Finally, the paper will assess the proposed solutions, determining their benefits and potential challenges to their implementation. This paper argues that to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Canadian schools, zero-tolerance and enumerated policies, gay-straight alliances, and gender-neutral bathrooms should be considered.
The Problem
Canada has a law and society that accepts the LGBTQ community. For that reason, Canadian schools must be inclusive of gender identity and diversity. With the enforced law and several efforts taken to ensure everything is smooth, it has emerged that not all Canadian schools follow the provincial law and the appropriate curriculum targeting LGBTQ (Porta et al., 2017). There are many issues in schools that must be addressed. Lack of awareness is the root cause of LGBTQ-associated problems such as discrimination, washroom issues, and derogatory uses of words like ‘‘gay’’.
Discrimination against LGBTQ students has been prevalent in Canada due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. Despite the non-existence of a connection between sexual orientation and gender identity, the LQBTQ community still experiences discrimination in private and public spaces (Li, 2018). Over a decade ago, the Toronto District School Board declared sexual orientation-based discrimination illegal, yet LGBTQ youth still face bullying and harassment in schools (Li, 2018). Victimization occurs from elementary to high school, including verbal aggression, exclusion, and physical harm. These practices have discouraged some LQBTQ teenagers from going to school. LGBTQ youth have difficulty integrating their sexual identity with school learning. Most fear admitting their sexual orientation due to homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia (Peter et al., 2021). These negative feelings lower self-esteem and increases anxiety and depression among LGBT students. Peter et al. (2021) noted that negative and uncomfortable feelings about the LGBTQ community lead to school discrimination and bullying. These feelings trigger homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia.
Physical bullying is one of the significant forms of harassment experienced by LGBTQ students in Canada. According to Li (2018), 63.5% of LGBTQ youth have reported feeling unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation and identity. About 18.3% of LGBTQ adolescents encounter physical attacks like kicking and punching (Li, 2018). The study found that misunderstanding the LGBTQ community is the primary cause of discrimination against this population. The misunderstanding causes heterosexual individuals to express bias and acumen. Researchers stated that a boy was kicked severally by his classmates for being gay. The boy reported that the discrimination extended to the school administrators, who did not protect him from heterosexual students. This example reflects the disparate treatment of the LBTQ in schools.
Verbal bullying also occurs frequently in Canadian schools. Li (2018) explored the life of LGBTQ youth and investigated the impact of homophobic and transphobic experiences at schools. According to the study, 90% of the participants reported hearing homophobic comments from teachers regularly (Li, 2018). The result demonstrates that Canadian sexual minority students experience verbal comments based on their sexual identity and orientation. Li (2018) also stated that nearly 70% of Canadian students hear sobriquets like ‘‘gay’’, ‘‘dyke’’, ‘‘lezbo’’, and ‘‘faggot’’ almost daily in school. These words affect the mental health of LGBTQ students because they are category labels. Approximately 47% of LGBTQ students experienced name-calling compared with only 31% of straight students (Peter et al., 2021). It explains why LGBTQ youth often feel unsafe at school.
LGBTQ students also find it difficult to associate with other students. They are discriminated against in the classroom and restricted from using certain facilities like washrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex. In a survey completed by 923 transgender youth in Canada, the participants viewed many spaces within a school as unsafe (Porta et al., 2017). These individuals often avoid bathrooms, and locker rooms, which they believe are the least safe places in school (Porta et al., 2017). In 2015, Theron Meyer, a 20-year-old university student at Simon Fraser, experienced double standards and nasty comments every time she used a public washroom. The student who identified as transfeminine experienced harassment from her classmates after using gender-binary, multi-stall bathrooms (Porta et al., 2017). In addition to bathrooms, Canadian LGBT students often do not feel comfortable interacting or playing with them for being LGBTQ. It is due to a negative perception of LGBTQ. Straight people fear associating with LGBTQ students because people would view them as LGBTQ. This view exposes LGBTQ individuals to more discrimination, harassment, and violence.
The increased prevalence of discrimination experienced by LQBTQ students is due to misunderstandings by heterosexual individuals. A common misconception about LGBTQ people is that being LGBTQ is a phase and a choice (Cardinal, 2021). Due to this misunderstanding, many LGBTQ students are labeled as ‘‘confused’’ and ‘‘misguided’’ (Li, 2018). However, scientific data indicate that sexual orientation is biologically based. Studies suggest that what leads to people being homosexual or heterosexual lies within their genetics, epigenetics, and brain formation CITATION LiS18 \l 1033 (Li, 2018). These findings have led to the conclusion that LGBTQ is an identity, not a choice. Straight students and teachers need to understand that a youth’s sexual orientation and gender identity are part of their identity instead of believing in the myth that LGBTQ is a choice (Li, 2018). Discrimination against LGBTQ shou...