Transphobia in Class, Anti-trans Legislation at the State: A Commentary on Navigating Harm and Hope in a Social Work Education Program

Authors

Emera Greenwood, University of Kansas
Megan S. Paceley, University of Kansas

Keywords

Transphobia, cissexism, social work education, anti-trans legislation

Abstract

EG (they/them): I was misgendered on day one of my BSW program; isolation and transphobia continued for two years. While I did my best to advocate for myself, I learned that you can't fight institutionally entrenched oppression alone.

MP (they/them): EG joined my class mid-semester after repeated incidents of transphobia. For two years, during an onslaught of anti-trans policies across the U.S., we advocated for changes in our school and social work education.

EG’s experience is not unique. Numerous studies document transphobia experienced by transgender and gender expansive (TGE) social work students and the lack of TGE content, visibility, and support for TGE students in social work education programs. Through a narrative reflection of our own experiences situated within the context of research on TGE students in social work, this commentary issues a call to action for social work education within the broader contexts of a national anti-trans political climate and the values and core competencies of social work education.

Recommended Citation

Greenwood, Emera and Paceley, Megan S. (2023) "Transphobia in Class, Anti-trans Legislation at the State: A Commentary on Navigating Harm and Hope in a Social Work Education Program," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 50: Iss. 1, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4687
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol50/iss1/3