Ideology
of the LGBT youth movement

Prejudice

Homophobia
Bias and hatred towards persons who are attracted to members of
the same sex. Homophobia often manifests itself as verbal or physical
abuse towards gay and lesbian people but can often be visible in more
subtle forms - the tabloid press and right wing politics for example. It is
a common misconception that only straight people can be homophobic.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns Homophobia in all it's forms
and will challenge homophobia as much as possible.

TransPhobia
Bias and hatred towards persons who identify with being transsexual or
transgendered, sometimes transvestites, cross dressers and drag queens.
Gender issues are complex and confusion over the issues is often mistaken
for ignorance. The term 'trans' is acceptable to a wide range of people who
identify with a wide range of gender issues. Within mainstream society
trans people are often invisible, however we recognise that there are thousands
of people who exist in our society who are trans and who suffer at the hands
of prejudice.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns Transphobia in all it's forms
and will challenge Transphobia as much as possible.


BiPhobia
Bias and hatred towards persons who are attracted to male and female genders.
Although many bisexuals do not identify as being a part of the wider LGBT
community there are many which do. Bisexuals have often been subject to
hatred and ignorance within the gay community itself.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns BiPhobia in all it's forms
and will challenge BiPhobia as much as possible.

HeteroPhobia
Bias and hatred towards persons who are attracted to the opposite sex.
Often noticeable on the gay scene where 'gay only' policies exist. Bars
often refuse admittance to those who appear to be 'straight' however this
very often excludes 'straight looking/acting' gay people instead. Just as
homosexuals can be homophobic, heterosexuals can also be HeteroPhobic
towards those who share their sexual preference.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns HeteroPhobia in all it's forms
and will challenge HeteroPhobia as much as possible.

Racism
Bias or hatred towards any person relating to their ethnicity, race, nationality
or cultural background. Racism often manifests itself as a hatred of people
with a different skin colour. Black and Asian people are often the main targets
of racism within our society, however they are not the sole victims - Jewish
people and eastern Europeans for example, racism is often connected with
religious hatred. Anyone can be a racist, anyone can be a victim of racism.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns Racism in all it's forms
and will challenge Racism as much as possible.

Sexism
Bias or hatred towards someone because of their gender - Male or Female,
for 'Transgendered or Transsexual' please see TransPhobia.
Women have been classed as the weaker sex in the majority of human
societies since the beginning of time. The last two centuries has seen
this begin to change, women can now vote, become priests and work
as much as men. There are still a great deal of sexist attitudes within
our society though which are constantly being challenged. Men too can
be the subject of sexism, although this is much less common.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns Sexism in all it's forms
and will challenge Sexism as much as possible.

Ageism
Ageism Mainly focuses on bias towards the elderly, however it is not exclusive
to this group. Young People are often victims of ageist policy and are excluded
from a range of social roles and have restricted rights because of their age.
Ageism is very visible within institutions, however it's damage is limited as people
are constantly 'ageing'. Despite this there is still a great deal of unnecessary
ageism within our society.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns Ageism in all it's forms
and will challenge Ageism as much as possible.

Disabilities
Prejudice towards those with disabilities is often hidden within society, but as
disabled people it can be seen everywhere. Accessibility for wheelchair users
is an important issues. as well as general accessibility for a range of other
disabled people's needs, such as large text, audio options and induction loops
which many people neglect to recognise.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns prejudice towards disabled
people  in all it's forms and will challenge it as much as possible.

HIV Status
Prejudice towards people who are HIV Positive is on the rise. HIV positive people
are often stigmatised as homosexuals, prostitutes or drug addicts when in real the
majority of them are not. Fear of contracting HIV is one of the main issues, however
unless high risk behaviour is not avoided there is no risk of contracting HIV.
Insurance companies are one of the main culprits of prejudice towards those with?
HIV. Doctors records have sometimes be checked without patients consent by
insurance companies on people who were living with a same sex partner or have been
involved with drug abuse. Those with HIV are often refused credit and insurance and a
knock on affect of this can be poor health care, bad housing and general poverty.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns prejudice towards HIV Positive People
 in all it's forms and will challenge it as much as possible.

Social Class
Indirectly, people who the government classes as 'lower class' are poorer, live shorter
lives and have generally worse health and lower standards of education than their
wealthier counterparts. There is an imbalance of wealth in almost every world society.
One percent of the population control ninety nine percent of the world wealth.

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns social class divides in all it's forms
and will challenge them as much as possible.

Religious Hatred
Bias or hatred to persons due to their religious beliefs. Religious hatred can often
be associated with Racism, however it is often more to do with certain religious
beliefs that some find offensive or in conflict with their own. Subcategories of
religious hatred have recently been categorised along anti-Semitism such as
IslamaPhobia and hinduismaPhobia. It is not just non-religious people who can
be hateful within a religious context but religious people too.
 

The Queer Youth Alliance condemns Religious Hatred in all it's forms
and will challenge it as much as possible.