Social Workers and LGBTQ Population
The LGBTQ community continues to experience incidences of prejudice and bias. Not only are these prejudices exemplified in interpersonal interactions through slurs and violent acts but also in the policies maintained in social work agencies and institutions. On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court extended marriage rights to same-sex partners. Since this ruling, the federal government has extended all federal and military/veteran benefits to married same-sex couples. Despite this progress, states continue to debate laws and policies that would legalize forms of discrimination toward LGBTQ individuals. Advocacy organizations, such as the Human Rights Campaign, provide policy maps showing the different rights provided in different states (see https://www.hrc.org/state-maps). Social workers are expected to fight to eliminate these inequalities throughout communities, programs, and institutions.
Around the world, members of the LGBTQ community continue to struggle for their rights. In some countries, they have made some progress. In 2016, 20 countries legally recognized marriage for same-sex couples (Human Rights Campaign, 2016). However, in other countries, the LGBTQ community faces much greater obstacles, and the consequences of fighting for basic rights are grave for both LGBTQ individuals and allies. Being gay is a crime punishable by death in 10 countries and is illegal in a total of 73 countries (Human Rights Campaign, 2016). Because of the violence and social exclusion experienced globally, LGBTQ individuals may seek refugee status because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression (UN High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2016).
