Naming and Addressing Homophobic and Transphobic Microaggressions in Social Work Classrooms

ABSTRACT

Classroom-based microaggressions are a critical problem, associated with a range of negative impacts for students in targeted groups. Central to the problem of microaggressions is that they are often unacknowledged or unaddressed by educators in their own classrooms. Findings from the Social Work Speaks Out! mixed-method survey demonstrate that LGBTQ+ undergraduate and graduate students experience a range of microaggressions in social work classrooms, as they would in classes in other fields. This article draws on qualitative data to examine the experiences of homophobic and transphobic microaggressions by social work students across the United States and Canada and introduces a new tool, grounded in the data, to guide educators in recognizing, naming, and effectively addressing microaggressions in their own classrooms.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of members of the CSWE Council on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (CSOGIE) for help analyzing data and offering useful feedback on the NAME Steps after trials with it in classrooms. Particular thanks to Pam Bowers, Jayleen Garza, Elaine Maccio, Natasha Mendoza, and Tameca Harris-Jackson.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David S. Byers

David S. Byers, MSW, PhD, is an assistant professor and convener of the clinical track at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College.

Lauren B. McInroy

Lauren B. McInroy, MSW, PhD, is an assistant professor in the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University.

Shelley L. Craig

Dr. Shelley L. Craig, LCSW, is professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and the Canada research chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.

Sarah Slates

Sarah Slates, MA, MSSW, is a PhD candidate at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where she also serves as director of career services and writing coach.

Shanna K. Kattari

Shanna K. Kattari, PhD, MEd, CSE, ACS, is an assistant professor of social work and women’s studies (by courtesy) at the University of Michigan, as well as core faculty at the Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities and director of the Sexuality | Relationships | Gender Research collective.