New York City has one of the mostfavorable environments for the LGBT community. First, the cityinitiallywelcomedmembers of this minority community who feltlike outsiders in their places of birth. It allows for diversity, where peoples of differentcultures, religions, and sexual orientation. LGBTQcommunitymembers have been some of the outsiders that have always been treated equally and fairly in the New York society. The city’s environment is favorable, which can be seen from the public spaces it has that are accommodative for the community members(EQUALDEX, 2021). However, this was not always the case inthe city where there were spaces for the LGBT members to socialize back then. The city also prohibited the members from gathering, where itwas even a criminal statute that permitted the police even to arrest people who wore clothes of the opposite sex.
The city has a NewYork community Trust, which works on improving the quality of life of the minoritycommunitiesand works to advocate for the rights of the LGBT community in the city. There are laws in New York that alsoprohibitdiscriminationagainst LGBT members at work, insocial places, and any environment(The New York Community Trust, 2019). The favorableenvironment of New York City has ensured that the communitymembers can undertakeany role, including bending News Anchors, starring on TV shows, and dressing as they desire. This is proof of how fair the city is to the LGBT community members.
One of the keyfactors that make it favorable for the LGBTQ community members includes the laws in place that protect and shield the membersagainst any form of discrimination or prejudice. NewYork State and city has enacted multiple laws that ensure that no person is discriminated against because of his/her sexuality. The city is perceived to be socially liberal for the sexual minority community. This is dated back to 1969 whenthere were the Stonewall riots in the city, a demonstration in pursuit of LGBT rights(The New York Community Trust, 2019). Another factor is the 1980 ruling in the New York vs. Onofre, where it was decided that the same sexual activity between twoconsentingadults is legal. Same-sex marriage was also made legal in 2011, giving Same-sex couples the right to marry each other.
The state alsomakes it easy for couples to get kids through surrogacy or adoption without getting discriminated against. This makes it very easy for people of the LGBT community to live in this city without the fear of getting attacked or discriminatedagainst. This is unlike in many citiesacross the globe. Many organizations and offices in the city whose mandate is to protect and continue advocating for equal rights for everyonedespitetheir sexuality. As a result, New York boasts of an annual pride match in the city, where for example, in 2016, around 30,000 people marched in the city for the New York City Pride March, where there were more than 2 million people in attendance.
Members of the LGBT community have, in the past and in current times across the world, been discriminated against. Therefore, many fear talking about their identities, where once they come out, they face discrimination, Prejudice,and even likely attacks. Many cases are reported across the globe,where thereis hatred perpetrated against the community members. This means that they need to feel comfortable before coming out, based on their environments. In New York, however, there is a better and more conducive environment for LGBT members to come out openly. This is since people in the city are more loving and accommodating, where they are relatively few cases of discrimination or hate against the community members(Goicochea, 2017). It is also a crime to discriminateagainst an individual based on his/her sexual orientation, making the LGBT members feel safer in the city and have no fear of being who they are. Hence, the cityaccommodates people from across the world who may have run to the city to pursue a more conduciveenvironmentthatwill protect them gains being discriminated against.
The city also has many organizationsand offices which ensure that they protect and guide members of the LGBT community. Such centers offer the LGTQ community health, wellness,and counseling services as well as other programs. Such organizations help the minority communities feel appreciated, loved, and protected and can easily talk about their sexual identity and orientation without fear of facing discrimination or hatred. Many safe centers are developed to ensure that there istreatmentand counseling of the LGBTmembers within the city, making their lies easy in the country.
Other cities and communities need to learn much from the case of New York City on how to treatmembers of the LGBT community. First,there is a need for more advocacy on the need for equal rights for all people despite their sexual orientation or differences. Cities need to have overarchingmultiagencypriorities, which will help improve the well-being of the LGBT people.There is a need to increaseaccess to affordable, high-quality,and nondiscriminatoryhealth care services andinsurance, which will be developed to cater to the LGBT People. They also need to emulate New York City and ensure that they continually promote the economic securityand the financial stability of the sexual minority communities, where this can be through fostering inclusive labor practicesand ensuringworkplacepriorities .
Cities, through their leaders, can worktowardsprotecting and strengthening the civil rights of the LGBTQ people, where they should ensure that the laws in place protect them against any form of discrimination. They can learn from New York City on the need for fostering an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment, where the members of the LGBT community can live, work and socialize without the fear of receiving backlash and hate from other community members(Medina, Gruberg, Mahowald, & Santos, 2021). The leaders in the cities should ensure that they havestrategiccollaborations to successfully work towards creatinga better and more inclusiveenvironment for all people in the city without caring about their sexual orientation, gender, or race. They also need to supportthe more fair andhumanetreatment of LGBTQ immigrants, who face morediscrimination and prejudice throughout the world.
