Even in the 21st century, the LGBTQ community faces biases and prejudices either through interpersonal interactions or through policies maintained in social work agencies and institutions. In my opinion, the NASW statement is right since the rule of law, most specifically the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Therefore, it considers everyone equal, whether gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender. Thus, it is only right that the law ensures that the rights and privileges that same-sex marriages also enjoy different-sex marriages.
Globally the LGBT community continues to struggle for their rights. Although there has been tremendous progress in some communities, for instance, within the United States through the help of the Human Rights Campaign, in other countries, there is a lot to be done mostly in the countries that where consequences of being a member of the LGBTQ community are severe ( Mitra, 2018 ) . Therefore, social workers are mandated to be inclusive of all persons. They are responsible for creating awareness of the LGBTQ population's rights and fighting to eliminate inequalities that these populations face in their communities, institutions, or programs. Social workers need to understand factors that may cause, increase, or reduce harm, their diversity, and the oppression LGBTQ face by following the set professional practice standards.
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I feel that beginning the address with the background of the declaration to address the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere gave basis to the protection of people's dignity even in ages to come. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clarifies that every human is equal, and it is the government's responsibility to protect its citizens. Several countries have made significant progress to ensure that human rights are protected with several advocacies, campaigns, and protests. These human rights included LGBT Rights. This community has faced arrests, terror, violence, and even executions depending on their country. Among other human rights, LGBT rights have a long way to go.
Many institutions, especially religious institutions, still find it difficult to accept this community. Some even consider it a sensitive matter due to the varied public opinion. Hillary Clinton made the public understand that something should be done despite the LGBT rights issue facing cultural, political, personal, and religious obstacles (Organization, 2016). She made it clear that gay rights are not different from human rights, which is true since gay people are human and therefore possess similar rights and freedom. LGBT community, therefore, needs to be treated with dignity; it is, therefore, wrong for people to be prosecuted, arrested, or even banished due to their sexual orientation. A violation of the sexual rights of individuals is subject to justice. Additionally, homosexuality should not be linked to a particular part of the world; homosexuality can occur in every society regardless of gender, race, faith, or occupation. The earlier people accept this; the quicker human rights will be fully exercised.
According to UNHCR's report, social workers in North America must acknowledge and address sexual orientation and gender diversity to give them a voice. Some of these people are arrested and executed in countries that shun homosexuality, in such countries, there are no activists or campaigns to fight for their rights (Canda et al., 2019). This is where social workers come in, advocating for the rights to sexual orientations and gender diversity on behalf of the LGBT community. Therefore, social workers require understanding the global legislative, social, and cultural contexts in which LGBT persons live to understand their challenges.
Some of the roles that social workers have at the international levels are the commitment to clients, competence and self-determination, the achievement of cultural competence, and the clear understanding of social diversity (Dentato et al., 2016). They also have the responsibility to their colleagues to report their colleagues' unethical conduct where they are also expected to be committed to their interdisciplinary. They also have a responsibility as the professionals where they are expected to fight discrimination and avoid misrepresentation as they uphold competence. Research and evaluation are the other two ethical responsibilities that social workers have to observe in their profession.
Empowering diversification is a skill that is required as an advocate. This is because, when social workers have a proper insight into diversity around them, it will be easier to respect other people’s sexual orientation and point of view (Sánchez et al., 2020). The other skill an advocate requires is to have a clear understanding of the collaborative influence that aims to support LGBTQ people in social works and Christianity. Cultural competence is also a requirement in that the advocates need to have proper awareness of one’s cultural values where they can comfortably implement appropriate interventions that are culture-biased free.
References
Canda, E. R., Furman, L. D., & Canda, H. J. (2019). Spiritual diversity in social work practice: The heart of helping. Oxford University Press, USA.
Dentato, M. P., Craig, S. L., Lloyd, M. R., Kelly, B. L., Wright, C., & Austin, A. (2016). Homophobia within social work schools: The critical need for affirming classroom settings and adequate preparation for service with the LGBTQ community. Social Work Education , 35 (6), 672-692.
Mitra, P. (2018). Human Rights Violation of Transgender People: A Critical Analysis on Bangladesh Perspective. Kathmandu Sch. L. Rev., 6, 165.
Organization. (2016, February 2). Clinton To U.N.: 'Gay Rights Are Human Rights.' https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-gay-rights-speech-geneva_n_1132392?ref=mostpop
Sánchez, J. G. A., Richling, S. M., Benson, M. L., & Rakos, R. F. (2020). Activism, Advocacy, and Accompaniment. In Behavior Science Perspectives on Culture and Community (pp. 413-436). Springer, Cham.
