The NASW statement regarding the rights of LGBTQ explains that the laws should reflect the rights of members of the LGBTQ community as being equal to those of all other human beings. While this assertion is clearly intended to push for stronger laws that protect this population, there is no direct statement as to how to achieve this goal. Without a clear direction of actions to ensure that all laws reflect true equality, the statement will not achieve the outcomes desired. Instead, I believe that the statement should include a plan of action that incorporates specific expectations such as what rights should be addressed first and how this could be achieved. While I believe that the NASW had intentions of directing such a plan through the statement, I feel that it lacks in cohesiveness.
Social workers are in a unique position to not only protect the rights of members of the LGBTQ community but also to advocate for these rights through educating the larger population. I believe that this is not only the role of social workers to protect rights but also to inform the community about human rights violations and how to change the social norms within the community to prevent these atrocities. According to Mapp and Gabel (2017) the general public is rarely aware of the number of violations that take place unless the mainstream media takes hold of the information. Yet, social workers are involved in a multitude of scenarios that allow them to interact with the general public. Therefore, I believe the best way that social workers can advocate for the rights of members of the LGBTQ community is to teach the public about the need for this advocacy.
According to Hillary Clinton (2011) the United Nations must do more to protect the rights of members of the LGBTQ community as currently these human beings are not given the same rights as other human beings in the world. Clinton (2011) continues to state that the members of the LGBTQ community are not treated as humans which means that human rights are often not protected simply because of their sexual orientation. I agree wholeheartedly that the government and the international community has assigned the LGBTQ community an identity that does not consider them as human beings. I wonder how the world has advanced to the current point of human rights advocacy but continues to claim that some people should not be afforded with the same rights as others. The statement by Clinton (2011) provides more of an outline than that of the NASW as to how to achieve more equality which is simply to prevent ongoing social norms regarding dividing the human race by characteristics when protecting human rights.
According to Linde (2015) the international community aims to protect human rights for all people, but each nation holds its own principles. This is highly evident in North America with a specific focus on the United States of America because not only does the nation have its own laws about the LGBTQ community but, according to the Human Rights Campaign (2019) each state provides different levels of protection for this population with some states having no more protection than that which is federally mandated. For instance, in the state of West Virginia, there are no laws to protect members of the LGBTQ community other than the right for marriage. This means that members of the LGBTQ community have no protection from bullying, hate crimes, or housing discrimination. It is absurd that a nation that is so strongly known for human rights advocacy does not do more to protect the members of the LGBTQ community on a federal level.
According to Linde (2015) the role of the international community is to participate in the discussion of human rights while acknowledging that members of the LGBTQ community are human beings who should be afforded the same rights as all other people regardless of their sexual orientation. The role of the social worker in ensuring that these rights are protected is, therefore, to be a part of the discussion and promoting equality in their practice. Education is the key to social advancement and the social worker is able to reach a large population. This means that through educating people within the community, the social worker is able to change policies and create a more humane approach to equality. While it is not possible to claim that a single social worker can change international policy, it is possible to assert that each social worker can reach multiple people who, together, can create a change. Social workers must collaborate with community members to hold community education programs, elicit members of the LGBTQ community to show their community contributions, and advocate for policy changes that will promote laws to protect the members of the LGBTQ community.
In closing, we must do more than simply make a statement about equal rights. The role of the social worker is to promote social changes that improve the lives of all members of the community and international society. This can be achieved through small changes that occur at home and within each community. A profession wide initiative must be started that ensures that all people are aware of these violations of human rights so that the community is active in advocating for new laws that protect the rights of members of the LGBTQ community. Only then will the international community hear the calls for equality.
- Clinton, H. (2011, December). Gay rights abroad. Speech delivered in recognition of International Human Rights Day, Geneva, Switzerland. Text posted with permission from the White House Office of Communications at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/
- Human Rights Campaign. (2019) [data file]. Retrieved from: https://www.hrc.org/
- Linde, R. (2015). A Seat at the Table: International LGBTQ Rights at the United Nations. Global Policy Journal, 26.
- Mapp, S., & Gabel, S. G. (2017). Government abuses of human rights. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, 2(1-2), 1-2.
