Young LGBT members feel more work is needed

With the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage fresh in people’s minds, young Reno residents at the Northern Nevada PRIDE Festival Saturday felt there is still a lot of work to do.

Around 750 packed Wingfield Park to attend the annual festival. Many were celebrating the Supreme Court’s June decision with a parade, games, live music and dancing. Mayor Hillary Schieve, who issued a proclamation declaring July 25 as Pride Day, was in attendance, as was former NSYNC member Lance Bass as a special guest.

Young people were enthused with the ruling. Anna Cerda, 23, of Reno, said state-sanctioned same-sex marriage adds a layer of comfort to the community.

“If I decide I want to get married with somebody, I don’t have to move states or something,” Anna Cerda, 23, of Reno, said. “I can do it in my hometown and be proud of it.”

However, along with many other people at the festival, Cerda said marriage equality was not the end of the fight. Kiba Walker, 20, of Reno and the recently crowned Mr. LGBT America, said discrimination is still widely practiced around the nation.

“A lot of states aren’t allowing full rights,” she said. “Some people can’t rent out a hotel or a chapel because people are still prejudiced toward same sex couples. We need to work on making sure we can be fully equal.”

Indiana made headlines in April when the legislature passed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The state faced a bevy of criticism for the law, which, in its original form, could have potentially allowed discrimination against LGBT people.

Lawmakers eventually amended the legislation to include portions outlawing discrimination based on sexual identity.

However, Santiago Caceres, 21, of Reno, said he feels discrimination at his workplace in Nevada.

“I work in an industry that only straight people work at,” he said. “I work in construction and people think I’m going to be hitting on them when I’m just trying to do my best.”

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 19 states — including Nevada — have laws against officially discriminating in the workplace based on sexual orientation or identity. Three states — Wisconsin, New York and New Hampshire — have laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation alone.

Mazzy Schmidt, 17, of Reno, said ending workplace discrimination nationwide is where the LGBT community will move forward.

“I feel like that is our next step, to get that ruled on by the Supreme Court so we can’t be hated on for who we love,” she said.

Jamie Lermer, 21, of Reno, said there is another issue often overlooked by people even in the LGBT rights community that needs addressed: transgender people.

A 2011 survey from UCLA showed 78 percent of transgender respondents experienced discrimination in the workplace. Forty-seven percent said they were discriminated in hiring, promotion or job retention practices. Transgender people also make less than their nontransgender peers, with many living in extreme poverty.

A study from the National Center for Transgender Equality also found transgender people have a suicide rate of 41 percent, compared to 1.6 percent of the general population.

“People don’t want to understand it,” Lermer said. “We need to also help them.”

Walker said the only endgame for the LGBT community is full equality and inclusion.

“We’re normal people,” he said. “The only thing different about us is who we love, different people.”