Social Workers and the LGBTQ Population and Advocacy, Internationally
The national association of social workers is concerned with protecting human rights and liberties for the LGBT people who are engaged in relationships (NASW 2018). The committee believes in the equity of the LGBT people and their ability to access and enjoy the rights and responsibilities that are legally given to heterosexual couples. It appreciates the continuing policy efforts being made to expand federal protections that are given to married couples to same-sex couples.
The role of social workers is to promote the implementation of laws, policies, and programs that uphold, support, and value the LGBT individuals and communities. They should work towards ensuring the wellness, safety, and equality for every LGBT person. Social work is responsible for implementing and maintaining a democratic state because it is concerned with embedding democratic policies and freedom into the social culture (NASW 2018). In LGBT, social work is a legit and influential public service that promotes respect for all LGBT people. The social workers are responsible for providing strong advocacy of the LGBT individuals’ rights and freedoms. The rights and freedoms should be able to meet their needs and eradicate discrimination which will improve their quality of life.
From the United Nations Address on Global LGBT Rights, it’s clear that every human being is born free despite their place of birth, where they live or who their leaders are and they all have equal rights. They are members of the community and include people from every race, age, ethnicity, and every religion in all parts of the world. This leaves no room for discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping based on LGBT status. The LGBT people are humans as well and should be accorded the same equality and dignity just like other people. The LGBT issues is a sensitive one because LGBT people have been harassed and endured violence just because of their status. The obstacles that block the protection of their human rights are held by personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs. To be able to curb this issue, it is important to address it and reach an international agreement that recognizes the human rights of LGBT people all over the world (Clinton 2011). Being LGTB does not make a person less human meaning that LGBT rights are human rights and vice versa. It is a violation of human rights when a person is beaten because of their sexual orientation, when the government declares being gay as illegal and when transgender women are associated with the so-called corrective rape. It is a violation of rights when a person cannot get the healthcare or justice they need because of their status. Being an LGBT is a human reality and is not associated with any particular originality or invention. Therefore protecting their rights should be done by every constitution. Another challenge for LGBT is the issue of cultural and religious values being the reason why their human rights are violated. It is everyone’s responsibility to support the human rights of others despite their status.
Sexual orientation and gender diversity are important to be addressed and acknowledged because some people live in fear because of the rules that are under the constitution across the world that criminalize these identities. Social work involves being committed to social justice and inclusion and play a significant role in addressing the diversity of sexual orientation and help to safeguard the rights of marginalized populations. It involves the recognition and protection of LGBT rights to ensure the strengthening of social integrity and unity (NASW 2018). The LGBT status does not free one from exercising their legal rights and responsibilities. Therefore if they follow the law to the core then they should not be discriminated against because of their LGBT status. This is where the social workers come in to promulgate the LGBT issues and raise awareness and concern for inequality and discrimination.
Social workers are responsible for supporting and implementing local and global rules and regulations that prohibit any type of discrimination that is grounded on sexual orientation or the LGBT community. They are responsible for striving towards eliminating inequalities through community programs and other institutions. They also play a significant role as mentors, therapists, and advocates with people from the LGBT community (NASW 2018). This is because social workers have knowledge of the issues surrounding the LGBT community and are in a good position to provide support to them, their families, and the people around them.
As an advocate, I will conduct educational interventions to acknowledge and address various aspects of LGBT and gender identities. This will help people to understand more about LGBT issues. It will also help them get more knowledge about all the practices of discrimination that are brought about by the LGBT community and the reason why they are in existence (NASW 2018). I will implement community programs to create more awareness on LGBT people, issues they face, and the strategies that could be used to ensure that they are all comfortable and feel equal.
References
Clinton, H. (2011, June 12). Hillary Clinton on gay rights abroad: Secretary of State delivers
historic LGBT speech in Geneva. Huffpost. Retrieved from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/06/hillary-clinton-gay-rights-speech-geneva_n_1132392.html?ref=mostpopular
NASW. (2018). LGBT practice tools. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/
