Social work for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered Persons of Youth
Interview and Research on LGBTQ Social Work
Alyssa Aguirre
The University of St. Francis
LGBTQ SOCIAL WORK
Abstract
This paper explores social work with the population of people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning community, or LGBT community for short. This paper discusses the population of interests, which includes the history of social work in this field, reasons for serving this population, the role of the social worker, the types of advocacy, and characteristics of agencies that serve this population. Also, an interview done by Lise Schiffer, LCSW is mentioned. She discusses her experience as a social worker and her experience with the LGBT community.
LGBTQ SOCIAL WORK
Social work for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered Persons of Youth
Population of Interest Section Imagine feeling helpless, alone, and discriminated against because of your sexual orientation. According to a national survey done in 2009 by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, 61.1% of the LGBTQ youth feel unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation. Social work with the LGBTQ community has been around for many years. Social movements in the United states began around the 1950s and 60s according to Dr. Bonnie J. Morris of the American Psychological Association (2012). The first major movement occurred in 1965, Dr. Frank Kameny, a well known figure in the gay rights movement, held the first public protest by the LGBTQ community in front of the White House. A year later, the first known gay student organization was founded in New York City at Columbia University (TIME 2012). Issues of risk for the LGBT community can be many things. Most issues that people of the LGBT community face comes from being abused or bullied for their sexual orientation. Many