It's so Obvious I'm Not Sure What to Type: Social Work Educators, Cis-Supremacist Legislation, and the Question of Professional Obligation

Background: Law and policy can reinforce stigma or interrupt it. The current U.S. legislative landscape reinforces cis/heteronormativity, white supremacy, and misogyny. Social work researchers, educators, and practitioners have the opportunity to live into the values we teach and profess, in real time and with real impact. The legislative efforts targeting transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people aim to restrict healthcare access, criminalize supporters of TNB young people, inhibit participation in sports, prohibit the acquisition of accurate legal documentation, and even cease the legal recognition of TNB people altogether. These efforts cannot be divorced from bans on Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ+ curricular content, and reproductive care. Engaging in social change efforts towards the liberation of all people are core values of social work globally, however the profession has yet to articulate a coordinated response to these efforts to limit the human rights, dignity, and bodily autonomy of Americans. This study examines social work educators' understanding of legislative efforts targeting TNB people and their opinions regarding the role, if any, of the profession. Of those surveyed (N=172), the vast majority (93%) believe it is our professional obligation to respond. Many respondents connected cis-supremacist legislation targeting TNB people to simultaneous efforts restricting access to knowledge.

Methods: An anonymous digital survey was distributed during May and June of 2023 through social media and an email invitation to accredited social work programs listed on CSWE’s website. Descriptive statistics were generated with SPSS. 172 social work educators completed the survey. The majority (56%) were full-time faculty members, hold a social work license (54%), described their race/ethnicity as white/Caucasian (71%), and work at a public institution (60%) in an urban setting (74%).

Results: The vast majority of participants believe that social work schools (93%, n=153) and professional organizations (95%, n=155) should address the legislation, and that doing so is in alignment with the Code of Ethics’ call for social justice and advocacy (NASW, 2021). A small proportion believe the opposite; 3% (n=4) do not believe schools nor professional organizations should address the legislation, 2% (n=3) indicating doing so is not in alignment with the Code of Ethics. Just over three-quarters (78%, n=131) reported their students have raised the legislation, however only 35% (n=60) reported their schools have responded.

Conclusions/Implications: It is imperative that the social work profession actively resist the legislative attacks on the human rights and bodily autonomy of TNB people and engage in actions that support the codification of equitable policy and legal protections for all people. As one educator stated: “Social work is often on the wrong side of history, let's not be on the wrong side this time too.” Concrete strategies for education and organizing are needed to guide schools of social work in addressing cis-supremacist legislation within the classroom setting, as well as in policy settings. Further, the profession could play a critical role in connecting efforts across targeted groups, highlighting the interconnectedness of issues of bodily autonomy.