Social Work in Canada - Social Work and Sexual and Gender Diversity

gender identity

An individual’s subjective sense of self as male, female or across a gender spectrum

sexual identity

Pattern of romantic and/or sexual attraction to men and/or women, which reflects an individual’s sense of personal and social identity, often (but not always) aligned with a person’s sexual behaviour and membership within communities who share this social identity

two-spirited

Emerged from interpretations of Indigenous languages used during the pre-colonial era for people who were considered to have both male and female spirits

gender expression

How an individual expresses their gender identity

gender non-conforming

Includes individuals whose physical sex/gender assigned at birth does not align with their gender expression

Transsexual/transgender

When an individual’s physical sex/gender assigned at birth differs from their gender identity

Cissexual/cisgender

The term cis is used to identify someone who is not trans or gender non-conforming

intersex

An individual whose biological body has both male and female characteristics as understood by conventional medical standards

non-binary

This term signifies that gender identity exists beyond the gender binary of (cis) men and women

queer

• Historically used within Anglo European and North American contexts as a derogatory term toward non-heterosexual or non-cissexual people

• More recently re-appropriated as an umbrella term for TSLGBTQ people

sexual minority

Umbrella term used of people who are part of a group whose sexual and  gender identity or expression differ from the majority

first nations before colonial contact

• Understood and affirmed sexual and gender difference

• Flexible marriage laws including same-sex marriage

• Two-Spirit: describes people who were considered to have both male and female spirits. Revered as leaders, mediators, teachers, artists, seers, and spiritual guides

first nations following colonial contact

• Imposition of European values: heterosexuality and gender conformity

• Destruction of the acceptance of two-spirited people in First Nations

• Pathologization of same-sex sexuality: homosexuality classified as a mental disorder

queer and trans activism

• Emerged in the 1960s

• Same-sex sexual activity decriminalized in 1969

• “There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” (Pierre Trudeau)

• Legalization of same-sex marriage in 2006

microaggressions

verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults

intersectionality

• Suggests that people who are multiply oppressed experience entirely new and complex forms of marginalization

• Highlights the ways in which systems of oppression based on race, class, gender, ability, religion, citizenship status, and sexual/gender identity, intersect resulting in a complex set of relations of power

structural intersectionality

when the burdens faced by a specific group of multiply marginalized people result in particular systemic discriminatory practices in the realms of housing, employment, immigration & health care

political intersectionality

when a specific group of people is situated within two subordinated groups that frequently pursue conflicting political agendas

social location

• refers to the personal, cultural, and social context of one’s structured position within society.

• Consists of someone’s affiliation as a member of a group and the particular geographic and socio-historical context into which one is born.

• A person’s group affiliations intersect resulting in differential access to social power and privilege (or penalty).

• Social location and identity are fluid, flexible, and shift according to situation and context.

• Allows us to see how different groups affiliations and positions intersect and operate.

chosen family

• refers to alternative family structures and support networks TSLGBTQ people build outside of their family of origin.

• not always recognized in health-care and social service settings

gay village

• Key geographic space for socialization and community building

• Dominated by cisgender, gay, white men and thus, women, people of colour, trans people and older adults may face intersecting experiences of oppression within this space

challenges faced by older TSLGBTQ people

• Difficulties managing stigma related to heterosexism and cissexism

• Mental health challenges

• Distrust of health-care providers

• Heterosexist/homophobic/transphobic environments in long-term care facilities

• Choosing whether or not to disclose their sexual and/or gender identity to care providers

• Lack of recognition of chosen families

barriers encountered by queer people facing intimate partner violence

• Heterosexist and cissexist assumptions and prejudice

• Few services that attend to complex intersectional and systemic barriers

• Challenges with the issue of disclosure

barriers to access for queer people

• Disclosure of sexual and/or gender identity:

  • Difficult to do given the heterosexism and cissexism that is embedded in health-care and social service institutions

• Invisibility :

  • Service providers underestimate the proportion of queer and trans people

  • Policies are developed with the assumption that the service user is heterosexual and/or cissexual

  • Promotional materials are of heterosexual and cissexual people

  • “Indifference model” ignores the unique experiences of TSLGBTQ individuals

fostering safe and affirming spaces

• Post signs that openly state that your office is a safe space for TSLGBTQ people.

• Have posters or visual materials that include same-sex couples and trans people.

• Be aware of language and terms you use related to sexual and/or gender identity and affirm the ways in which people self-identity, understanding that this may shift and change over time.

• Do not assume one’s sexual and/or gender identity. If you are asking about an intimate relationship, ask about a partner.

• Do not assume that one’s sexual behaviour always needs to “match” self-identification of sexual identity.

• Do not assume that one’s gender expression will always “match” self-identification of gender identity.

• Validate TSLGBTQ people’s experiences of heterosexism and/or cissexism.

• Do not assume what a person’s biological or chosen family structures may be.

• Learn more about the degree to which someone participates within TSLGBTQ and other communities.