Homophobia: dislike or prejudice against gay people. Homophobia has been a well-versed problem but over the years it has gotten a little better. June 26, 2015 was when gay marriage was legalized in all states. Some states, such as Maine, Maryland, and Washington, had legal gay marriage before then, but in 2015 all state bans against gay marriage were lifted.

In an interview with an LGBTQ-identifying person, Lisa Johnson, we learned how it was to be gay in the 90s. Johnson is a 49-year-old lesbian whose been out since she was 18. She never graduated high school because she’s been living on her own since the 9th grade. Being a member of the LGBTQ group hasn’t always been easy for her. Johnson states, ¨Remember I grew up in the 80s, it was frowned upon and not really talked about. Matter of fact when I came out to my mom, she asked if I needed help.¨

Although her mom wasn’t accepting, the rest of her family welcomed her with open arms. 92% of America’s gays say they feel more accepted than they did 10 years ago, however, 53% feel discrimination still exists. Johnson states, ¨Back then I would have never been able to hold a girl’s hands out in public. We have come a long way and seen a lot of changes.” Thankfully, Johnson claims she has never been a victim of a hate crime. Johnson was raised in the southern states. This had some effect on the homophobia surrounding her. She says that she never had any encounters with homophobes, that she can remember, but that there weren’t a lot of out people around her. Johnson states her opinion on why she thinks people are homophobic. ¨ Scared we’re gonna take their women…just kidding, well maybe. In most cases, it’s the way they were raised.¨

Hate crime statistics have gone down over the years. While Homophobia is still a very real problem that affects many, we have come a long way.