Beyond Pronouns: Cisnormativity in Social Work Practice

Throughout the history of social work practice, there has been a focus on subduing “deviance” in individuals as a means of combating larger social problems. “Deviance” being a subjective category, is often used to uphold power structures that only a few truly benefit from. Transness has historically been one of those forms of “deviance,” and although some progress has been made within our discipline, a lot of work is still needed. Cisnormativity is the idea that being a cisgender person is the standard or the norm, and therefore implies that being a trans person is a deviation– is still prevalent and pervasive in our field. This is evident in many social work programs, where trans issues are introduced as part of “special lectures,” and trans people are positioned as the unlikely exceptions to watch out for. Webinars and continuing education events are held to answer questions like “how do I use pronouns?” and “if my client is on hormones, can they still be prescribed their regular psychiatric medications?.” While these questions are extremely important, they are often the only topics trans social workers are ever consulted as the experts on. In this panel we will explore what decentering cisnormativity, while centering the expertise of trans social workers - in all respects and fields of knowledge - looks like. This session will also focus on how challenging typical notions of “deviance” can transform our field and how we work with others. Speakers TBA.

Webinar Recording