Zachary Quinto volunteered to narrate this important video on “The Price of Exclusion.”Â
If you’re LGBTQI, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced some form of discrimination in your lifetime. You might not even know it, say if you were never called for an interview because a company chose someone less qualified who they perceived wasn’t LGBT, which happens, as one study has proven.
This short, 3-minute video narrated by Star Trek and Heroes actor Zachary Quinto for the United Nations details some of the staggering and devastating costs associated with homophobia, transphobia, and anti-LGBTQI discrimination.
From childhood bullying which forces one in three LGBTQI children to skip or drop out of school, to the 40 percent of homeless youth living on the streets after being rejected by their families, discrimination for many starts young, but doesn’t always end there.
Suicidal thoughts and even attempts for LGBTQI youth and teens are higher than for their heterosexual peers.
Because of discrimination, LGBT people face higher rates of joblessness, food insecurity, depression, and poverty.
And that in turn translates into “an enormous waste of human potential, of talent, of creativity, and productivity.” This is a huge proven financial cost for society and world economies.
“The cost of homophobia and transphobia is simply colossal,” Quinto says.
This is a great video to share with those who aren’t willing to see the discrimination, or who claim equality has already arrived.
It hasn’t, and in every nation around the world, even in America, there’s a great deal of work to be done.
Watch:
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Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license
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