Problems Faced By The Lapami Community

The murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, in the town of Laramie depicts the harsh violence and chauvinism that the LGBTQ community frequently faced during the time. Several societies across the globe faced varied problems ranging from unemployment, drug addictions, racial discrimination, gender inequality, and natural phenomenon. It is important to understand some of these problems are still faced today, although the cases are rare. The Laramie community has a pair of its problems, which include social injustices, hate crimes and violence, and gay community discrimination. These are problems that need to be told and addressed to guarantee safety for all residents in this society.

Following the murder of Matthew Shepard, it is well perceived that the gay/lesbian community was vulnerable to violence and exposed to all sorts of abuse in the larger society. The murder justifies the external stresses that affect the well-being of the gay community. A gay or lesbian individual may not be a direct victim of murder, violence, or rejection. However, there is still substantial stress occurring from the professed threat induced by hearing about tortures and murders in the news. The significant problem the Laramie community is dealing with is, how to guarantee legal protection and safety for all the residents. Negative societal approach coupled with external stressors habitually implies that LGBT community is confronted with self-image problems, counting self-hatred and lack of self-esteem. Furthermore, the entire Laramie community is faced with the problem of creating harmony and peaceful cohesion between the regular residents and gay community members. The murder of Shepard was an eye-opener, not only to the Laramie residents but the global community as well.

Consider the strengths and limitations of the Laramie community. What changes need to be made? How would you assist the Laramie community in making these changes? What community practice theory helps you understand the Laramie community? What community practice model might you use in addressing the identified problem(s) or achieving the desired changes? Just like any other community, the Laramie community has both strengths and limitations. The strengths include the resident’s interrelation and cultural unity that offers a platform for communal experiences. The limitations observed in this community take in poor policies, police slackness, and hatred, which give birth to all sorts of evils against some minority members of society. Several changes are desired for this community. Better legal policies should be implemented to protect the Laramie community and gay people. The policies should run simultaneously with education programs, which should be aimed at creating awareness about social and cultural issues that have a negative influence on individuals.

Public education programs should be introduced in all schools to create wakefulness among the children. Moreover, adult people need to be sensitized about the need to protect each other, regardless of their gender status. Numerous measures are considered to ensure that these changes become effective. For instance, community contribution and government intervention measures are mandatory. Education programs should be made mandatory for both children and adult people to inform them about cultural issues such as gay discrimination and violence. Moreover, there is a need to improve police protection in the region. To make this activity possible, a relationship and transparency should be created between the police and the residents. When there is an open connection between the two parties, several social, political, and cultural issues that affect how people live and relate can be quickly resolved, instead of some people taking the law into their hands. The community should be protected against drug abuse through the enactment of laws that sentence the offenders.

Furthermore, all perpetrators involved in crimes should be exposed to the public. This should serve as a warning to the others who might be trying to engage in such wrongdoings. Different community practice theories describe the manner a society can be understood. Laramie community can be clearly understood using the social work theory. In this case, the theory proposes how a person receives help from the family level, school, and the entire society. It is worth noting that the social work theory relates to the mezzo, micro, and macro practise scopes. A troubled member of society or a gay/lesbian person would most benefit from systems theory that appreciates personal problems within the framework of gender inequality and stereotypes. Based on this theory, it is possible to create different campaigns that are intended to protect the whole community against wrongdoings towards the people. Most importantly, the social theory entails practices, such as community-based education policies, policy analysis and advocacy to address the emerging problems, and improved policing programs for the authorities.

Several scholars and practitioners have developed varied models to explain the nature of community practice. As such, community advocacy and engagement model can be used to address the above-discussed problems and achieve the desired changes in Laramie community. Based on this model, a description of a learning theory with a strong connection to the social construction of awareness is prioritized from a broad perspective. The terms of this model surround assisting communities to give a forum for society residents to assist one another every time. Help, as described here, focuses on offering social support to all members in society irrespective of the gender status. Hence, the entire community is required to offer social and economic support to LGBT communities instead of rejecting them.

It is worth noting that this model can contribute much towards addressing the problem at hand. The model serves to generate awareness, make the identified problem known to the public, and offer reliable guidelines towards the creation of applicable approaches. The model focuses on the use of values, concern and critical thinking abilities to help people who are neglected and have been barred from making decisions that affect their lives. That said, the Laramie community should engage in empowering those considered less fortunate people to regain a good social setting for themselves and the generations to come.

Conclusively, the LGBT community, as depicted in the film is vulnerable to violence and other types of abuse. The case of Matthew Shepard provides this insight. The repercussions of the subject examined are diverse, including the abolition of heterosexist norms that can harmfully impact the extent of relations. Based on the murder of Matthew Shepard, it is evident that the fear of negative experiences may indeed keep many gays and lesbians from acquiring professional assistance. Several measures and new policies have been put in place to protect all members of society. Moreover, diverse techniques have been implemented to engage people in addressing both social and cultural problems. This move is aimed at driving social change to bring about a more unbiased society and humane global culture.