In America, great strides have been made to create a more equal country, like legalizing gay marriage and stopping racial segregation. But some other equality issues still need attention:  gender equality and LGBT acceptance.
Women everyday are struggling to maintain an equal life to men. And, as that is happening, feminism continues to make strides. More and more women are rising to positions of power.

A January 2015 article from pewresearch.com reported that there are now 108 women in Congress. But even though women are beginning to make laws, the battle for equal pay is ongoing. According to Huffington Post, “By the time a college-educated woman turns 59, she will have lost almost $800,000 throughout her life due to the gender wage gap.”

Another problem with gender equality is that women are still objectified and attacked in America. In 2008 the Justice Department reported that there were 182,000 sexual assaults committed against women. Even though women and men are of the same species, there is still a clear hierarchy amongst them.
Like gender equality, LGBT issues are being discussed on social media, in the news, and throughout households, causing controversies among the nation. The differences between sexuality and gender has placed barriers on the growth of our society, because it is not fully accepted to love the same sex, or not be the gender assigned at birth. Some do not identify with the gender they were born into when they couldn’t make that decision for themselves.

According to the Washington Post, “78 percent of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” It’s dangerous to be transgender.  And even with the advance in same sex marriage, there are still those fighting against it. Pflagnyc.org said, “Reliable estimates indicate that between 4 and 10% of the population is gay” and “nearly a fifth of students are physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation.” Even though America has legalized gay marriage and there is more transgender awareness now, there is still a lot of change to be made.
At school, we are faced with a diverse population. From different races, sexualities, genders, and social statuses, we are in a mixing pot. Accepting people who are not the same as us, while at the age we are now, will bring us more opportunities later in life. If you have a job as an adult, working with people that have differences is a constant. And if you are able to accept and work with or for those people with differences you will have an easier time in the workplace.
As little children we have no concept of what is different and what is not. We accept anyone who will play with us. But as we grow older, other’s opinions and our life experiences gain hold of our judgment. It can become warped due to what we are exposed. And we eventually form our own conceptions and misconceptions. Ideally, we would keep our childhood acceptance of differences in others.

America has always been a country of change. A place where those come to be free and have opportunities to be who they really are. Sadly, we continue to struggle to accept each other.