Monica Alcota (left) and Cristina Ortega. Photo courtesy of the New York Post.

Monica Alcota, the lesbian spouse of New York City social worker Cristina Ortega, will not be deported to Argentina, according to this article in the New York Post.

The ruling from federal immigration Judge Terry A. Bain is significant because it could help thousands of other undocumented immigrants who are partners in same-sex relationships avoid deportations, the article said.

“We hugged each other and had a celebration. We drank a toast with some cider and called our friends,” Ortega said.

The National Association of Social Workers is committed to fair treatment for all, including LGBT individuals and immigrants. To learn more visit NASW’s Diversity and Equity Webpage by clicking here.

Social worker Catherine Crisp (left) and partner Kaye McKinzie. Photo courtesy of CBS News.

The repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was not just a victory for gay and lesbian military personnel, according to this CBS News article.

Partners of military personnel who had to help hide the relationship from the public are also relieved. This includes National Association of Social Workers member Catherine Crisp, a professor of social work at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

Crisp is the long-time partner of career Army officer Kaye McKinzie. Under DADT McKinzie could have been discharged from the Army if authorities discovered she was a lesbian.

“In hindsight it seems ludicrous that we had to spend time and energy on stuff like that,” Crisp said. “We lived in fear not of ‘the enemy’ but of our government and the fear of disclosure and discovery under this horrible policy.”

Social workers are devoted to equal treatment for all, including the GLBT community. To learn more visit NASW’s Diversity and Equity Website by clicking here.

The controversial policy, which allowed gay and lesbian members to serve as long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation, will soon be phased out. But there is nowhere for servicemembers to go to find out about policies during this transitional period.

So students at the social work school created the Military Acceptance Project, or MAP. The Web site is a place for servicemembers to anonymously get information about policies concerning lesbian and gay soldiers. And policymakers can go there to find out what concerns servicemembers may have.

There are also resources on the Web site for people who experienced stress from living under DADT.

“We are addressing these issues from a social-work perspective,” said  Kristen Kavanaugh, a retired Marine officer who hid her sexuality and is now a student at the social work school. “Our biggest issue is mental health support. Everyone who is forced to hide under DADT has got some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Social workers are committed to social justice for all, including people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. To learn  more, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Diversity and Equity Web page by clicking here.

Prison rape survivor Troy Erik Isaac. Photo courtesy of the New York Review of Books.

Several news organizations have recently reported on rampant abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered young people in the juvenile justice system.

However, for some National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members, these harrowing tales of LGBT youth being verbally and physically assaulted on a daily basis and even raped by other inmates and staff are nothing new.

Social workers have known about this problem for years and tried to end abuse by improving training of staff at jails, prisons and other youth facilities around the nation.

“Yes, it’s an ongoing problem — it’s been a problem for decades,” said social worker Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW, director of the San Francisco State University Family Acceptance Project, an initiative that studies the impact of family acceptance and rejection on LGBT youth. “It really has not been addressed at the systemic level.”

“Although there are wonderful guards and staff in every facility, there are some guards and staff with their own agendas and prejudices,” said Robin McHaelen, MSW, a social worker and director of True Colors Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services in Hartford, CT.

“When a staff member calls a youth names or harasses them, or equally importantly fails to intervene when the youth is being harassed because of their orientation or gender, other youth learn that is acceptable behavior — it escalates from there.”

Media coverage of sexual abuse of juveniles in detention picked up in January when the Justice Department released its first report ever on sexual abuse of youth in detention centers. That report said 12 percent of youth in state-run, privately run, or local facilities have been sexually victimized.

However, later reporting has focused on the fact that abuse of LGBT youth in detention occurs at a much higher rate. The Nation, the oldest magazine in the United States, in June ran this article about violence against LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system. And the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana on July 1 released this report about mistreatment of LGBT youth in state facilities.

“When I was first locked up, when I was first raped, I was a terrified 12-year-old boy,” said Troy Erik Isaac, 36, who was sexually assaulted  repeatedly while serving time in juvenile and adult facilities. “I had never been violent and I was different — I was skinny and effeminate.”

Isaac was mentioned in this article  that appeared in the New York Review of Books  in March and was interviewed by Fox Television in Los Angeles (to watch that segment click here) this year. He was in and out of jail for 20 years but created a community service organization and in February testified before Congress about sexual abuse of inmates.

Social workers are working to sexual and other abuse in both adult and juvenile detention facilities but much work needs to be done said Melvin Wilson, MBA, MSW, LCSW, manager of NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies and an expert on justice issues.

Melvin Wilson.

“The whole issue of sexual violence in the correctional system, including adult and juvenile facilities, is at epidemic proportions.”

NASW works closely with groups that seek to end victimization of prison inmates, becoming part of the dialogue and creation of action plans, Wilson said.

Ryan co-authored “Serving LGBT Youth in Out-of-Home Care.” That book, which was published by the Child Welfare League of America as part of the association’s best practices series and Model Standards Project, provided the first police and practice guidelines to improve services for LGBT youth in custodial care.

Ryan and McHaelen have no illusions that mistreatment of LGBT youth will change soon. Part of the problem is that detention centers are often geared toward being more punitive than rehabilitative, Ryan said.

Caitlin Ryan. Photo courtesy of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.

McHaelen said anyone who works with youth should get initial and then periodic training on how to be more sensitive to the needs of LGBT young people.

Robin McHaelen. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

“Whatever the bias we are talking about — heterosexism, classism, racism, gender bias, etc. — each of us has internalized these prejudices to one degree or another,” she said. “When unexamined or unresolved, these biases can’t help but negativey impact our work.

“Unfortunately, the direct care staff with the most face-to-face interactions with youth are often the staff with the least amount of this kind of training. In my opinion, policies and procedures are necessary — but not sufficient in creating safe environments for LGBT youth.”

 What can Social Workers do to Help?

Robin McHaelen offered other social workers this advice on helping GLBT youth:

At the individual level: When you see abuse — intervene! Everywhere and every time.  Make sure you have done your work to separate personal views from professional responsibilities. 

At the family and group level: Start by getting yourself trained on the unique needs and concerns associated with sexual and gender minority youth and their families or caregivers. Then find ways to include and work with families and caregivers.  A key factor in the outcomes for LGBT youth is the response of the youth’s  family to their coming out. Families very often become more affirming over time. Look for ways that you can help them move along the continuum from rejection to ambivalence to acceptance and affirmation.

Finally, at the system’s level: Ask about your agency’s policies and procedures. Are they inclusive of LGBT youth needs?  If not, what can you do to get them changed? Then, find out what is happening at the state and federal level and look for ways to advocate on behalf of this very vulnerable population. For example: Did you know that lesbian, gay and bisexual people can be fired in 30 states?  And that transgender folks can be fired in 37 states.  Is your state one of the 13 that include gender identity and sexual orientation or one of the 37 who don’t?  At the Federal level, current concerns are marriage equality and the repeal of the discriminatory  ”Defense of Marriage Act” legislation as well as the removal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell which now results in the (military) discharge  of thousands of American patriots.

NASW supports equal treatment for all, including members of the LGBT community. To find out more click here to visit the association’s Diversity and Equity Web page.

Photo courtesy of AskMen.com

A study done by researchers from two social work schools shows gay couples are just as fit to adopt as heterosexual ones, according to this article in the Ottawa Citizen.

Paige Averett, an assistant professor of social work at East Carolina University, Blace Nalavany also from East Carolina, and Scott Ryan, dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work Arlington and National Association of Social Workers member, interviewed 1,400 couples from around the nation, including 155 gay and lesbian parents.

They found sexual orientation had no bearing on the emotional development of adopted children. What mattered far more to the children’s well being was whether parents were satisfied with the adoption process, had a stable income and functioned well as a family.

To learn more about gay and lesbian adoptions and find out how social workers help families adopt, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Web page on this issue by clicking here.

A scene from HBO's "A Family is a Family is a Family"

How do you define family?

Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell will  try to answer this question through her documentary “A Family is a Family is a Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration” airing Sunday, Jan. 31 on HBO at 7 p.m.

The program looks at all the shapes a family can come in, including  two-parent households, single parents, gay and lesbian parents and families with adopted children. No matter what form a family comes in, love is the tie that binds, said O’Donnell, a lesbian who is separated from her partner and raising children jointly with her.

“Family is forever. And family is love,” she said.

Social workers often help families build stronger relationships. For more information, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Web page by clicking here.

Q: Social workers, could you please watch “A Family is a Family is a Family” and tell us what you think?

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, left, and Eric Stonestreet play Mitchell and Cameron, a gay couple on "Modern Family." Photo courtesy of ABC.

Television programs are increasingly featuring gay and lesbian characters.

For instance, the award-winning comedy “Glee” (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox) has a gay storyline and in tonight’s episode of “Modern Family” (Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern on ABC) father Jay (actor Ed O’Neill) must confront the possibility one of his best friends Shorty (Chazz Palminteri) is homosexual.

Social workers have long supported the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. To learn more, visit this National Association of Social Workers Web site section on this issue. Which leads to our poll:

Nancy Edwards and partner Barbara Bradford. Photo courtesy of Minneapolis Star Tribune.

As society becomes more accepting of homosexuals, more women are coming out as lesbians later in life, according to this article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The article features National Association of Social Workers member Joanne Fleisher MSW LCSW in Philadelphia.

Fleisher treats women who come out in their 30s and 40s and has a Web site, lavendervisions.com.

The article also mentions Nancy Edwards, 67, who came out as a lesbian after two marriages. Edwards did her dissertation for the University of Minnesota School of Social Work  on women who made the same transition.

“I got sober, and thought maybe my feelings for other women was from drinking too much,” Edwards  said. “What the drinking was really about was keeping those feelings under wraps.”

Social workers are committed to equal treatment for all, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. To learn more, click here to visit the NASW Diversity and Equity Web page.

Johnson worked as a social worker for 30 years and was one of the first social workers to push for programs for people afflicted with AIDS. She is also a key Democratic Party supporter and long time activist for women, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights.

GLT asked Johnson, who lives in San Diego, why she chose social work:

“Well back in those days, there were very few things that a woman could do. I wanted a college education, and I wanted a graduate degree but the choices were very limited. I didn’t want to be a nurse because I didn’t like blood. And I didn’t want to be a teacher because I didn’t have much patience with children, and I was too noisy to be a librarian. So I chose to be a social worker.”

Visit this National Association of Social Workers Web site section to find out how social workers help gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

Catherine White-Holman. Photo courtesy of Vancouver Sun.

Our regards  to the Vancouver Sun in Canada for their moving profile of Catherine White-Holman, a pioneering social worker who helped provide health care to the community and was an advocate for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people. White-Holman, 55, recently died in a plane crash.

To read the full story click here.

Transgender woman Adrianna King moved to Chicago's Lakeview section for acceptance. She aspires to be a social worker or work in entertainment.

 Transgender youth are moving to Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood because they feel safer in its gay-friendly environment, according to a recent Chicago Now news article. They are also going there to take advantage of social services offered at places such as the Center on Halsted and the Night Ministry.

This article highlights care social workers provide some of the most marginalized people in our society.

CSWE Executive Director Julia Watkins

The Council on Social Work Education and Lambda Legal on Nov. 3 released results of a study on sexual orientation and gender expression in social work programs. The study sought to find how prepared students to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth in out-of-home care. “The results of this study make it clear that we as a profession have integrated sexual orientation-related content into curricular offerings, but we can do more,”  CSWE Executive Director Julia M. Watkins said.