2 results
twelve - Pedagogy for unpacking heterosexist and cisgender bias in social work education in the United States
- Edited by Julie Fish, De Montfort University, Leicester, Kate Karban, University of Bradford
-
- Book:
- LGBT Health Inequalities
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 11 March 2022
- Print publication:
- 18 March 2015, pp 205-222
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
Introduction
Reflecting the profession's values to promote social justice, policies and standards on health established by United States (US) national (NASW, 2005) and international (Bywaters and Napier, 2009) social work associations serve as maps for leading the profession's mission across the globe. Explicit commitments recognise that health is fundamental to human rights and that social work training plays a key role in educating students about the need to mitigate the impact of social and health inequalities among the marginalised communities they serve. Social work has an ‘obligation to challenge social conditions that contribute to social exclusion, stigmatisation or subjugation, and to work towards an inclusive society’ (IFSW, section 4.2 (5)). Notions of what is meant by an inclusive society include recognising diversity across individual characteristics, traditions and identities based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability and so on (Van Soest, 2003). While social work educators are charged with instilling these values in students, embracing these ideals may create unique challenges for students socialised to view lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) lives through the lens of heteronormative morality versus ‘cultural diversity’ (Van Den Bergh and Crisp, 2004).
Many social work students still harbour lingering vestiges of prejudice, with and without their conscious knowledge (Raiz and Saltzburg, 2008). As internalised beliefs derived from dominant heterosexist/cisgender discourses carry over into direct practice (Schope and Eliason, 2000), LGBT clients are at risk of having their lives evaluated and prescribed by using heterosexual and cisgender norms. Such lack of understanding creates barriers to culturally responsive and effective services. Social work education plays a critical role in dispelling inequalities in healthcare for LGBT people by preparing students for ethical and culturally affirmative practice.
Helping students to gain needed cultural-diversity competences (CSWE, 2008) for LGBT practice calls for cultivating a cognisant departure from assumptions instilled by heterosexist/cisgender socialisation. There have been a number of teaching strategies for practice courses suggested in the social work literature for decreasing heterosexist/cisgender bias (for example, LGBT guest speakers: Black et al, 1999; the ‘infusion method’: Basset and Day, 2003); however, efficacy of outcomes has been inconsistent. Teaching self-reflection as a means for instilling values is well established in social work pedagogy (for example Healy, 2000). However, given the religious-moral issues for some students related to same-sex attraction and behaviours and non-conforming gender expression, these topics may be experienced as too highly sensitive and provocative for transparent self-reflection.
six - Social services for LGBT young people in the United States: are we there yet?
- Edited by Julie Fish, De Montfort University, Leicester, Kate Karban, University of Bradford
-
- Book:
- LGBT Health Inequalities
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 11 March 2022
- Print publication:
- 18 March 2015, pp 113-130
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
Vignette
The bus was late again. Sari was used to this. Since ‘hitting’ the streets, she needed the bus to get around. Aged 16, Sari had been homeless for three months. Originally, she stayed at a young people's shelter, but ran away when slurs like “queer bitch” from other young people became too much. The staff knew and did not seem to care.
Sari preferred staying on her own, sometimes couch-surfing with her girlfriend or making enough money selling marijuana to stay in a cheap motel. Sari did not have to sleep in an alley yet. She refused to sell her body, but she knew more than anything that she did not want to return to her mother's home.
Her mother couldn't understand why Sari was ‘different’. Sari referred to herself as female but disliked labels; she felt the same about ‘lesbian’ or ‘straight’. Her very religious mother thought Sari's lifestyle was against God's will, and reacted by verbally and physically abusing Sari. On the street, Sari was determined to make it on her own. Yet quietly, she was not always sure how.
Introduction
Although Sari is fictional, her experience at the youth people's shelter, meant to be a safe haven, is common. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) young people in the United States (US), despite advances in legal protections and cultural visibility, still face barriers in accessing culturally competent care throughout service delivery systems. Trans young people, homeless LGBT young people and LGBT young people involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems are highly vulnerable to stigmatisation, victimisation and inadequate, insensitive service delivery. The US lags behind other countries in applying a human rights framework in assessing social, cultural and economic policies (Reichert, 2007). Human rights language is absent from the Institute of Medicine's report on the health of LGBT Americans (IOM, 2011) and from Healthy People 2020 – the federal government's 10-year national health promotion agenda (USDHHS, 2010). However, both reports draw attention to social determinants associated with physical and mental health disparities affecting LGBT citizens (that is, stigmatisation, violence, oppression and discrimination).
LGBT young people frequently experience policies and practices within US service delivery systems that violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989), which the US has not ratified.