Social work is one of the most demanding jobs characterized by a number of challenges and benefits. On the one hand, being a social worker means helping people, regardless of the color of their skin, gender, or social status. On the other hand, the combination of personal and professional values is never simple, and people are free to develop their own positions and attitudes. In this discussion, attention will be paid to a case when a homosexual teacher is not able to find a well-paid job at local schools and address a social worker for help.
In the case under analysis, a homosexual man is a client of a social worker. He reports several cases of discrimination at his previous workplace after he publicly revealed his sexual position. Now, the client wants to hide this information from a future employer and asks a social worker to assist in employment. His family recommended reparative therapy to reduce same-sex sexual behavior, but a social worker knows that short-term goals or negative impacts are usually associated with this practice (National Association of Social Workers, 2015). Parents and siblings are not against the chosen position, but most believe that it is some disease, and it may be treated one day. The man expects a social worker to introduce additional options to find a job and avoid therapies not to challenge his mental health.
The distinction between personal and professional values in social work plays a crucial role. Personal ethics includes the values an individual develops with respect to the environment and interpersonal relationships. Professional ethics deals with the rules and social norms an individual should follow in business and formal relationships. Despite the already established attitudes and gained knowledge, social workers have to consider the opinions of other people and communities and stick to neutral positions. In the majority of cases, homosexuality is defined as a social norm and promotes homophobic fears (Carbado, 2018). However, there are many laws and proposed regulations (the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Equality Act) that prove the necessity to respect sexual minorities.
To be a homosexual teacher remains a serious social concern in many American communities today. In this particular case, the importance of professional ethical and moral values has to prevail over personal beliefs because teaching facilities are based on commonly accepted norms and rules. Many modern teachers prefer to hide their sexual orientations not to put their jobs at risk, and social workers are obliged to support their clients, without breaking the law. If there are no specific requirements about the sexual orientation of an employee, a social worker has to recommend this job to a man.
The development of professional responsibility is a hard task for many social workers. Prejudice and bias create multiple challenges, but a social worker has to apply a broad-based knowledge of sexuality and competency (National Association of Social Workers, 2015). Many teachers and their administrative leaders are free to demonstrate their own attitudes toward homosexual people, and not a single social worker is able to change or affect this position. Therefore, such qualities as fair communication and tolerance need to be promoted. It is not enough to offer responses and solutions to the problems but to be able to listen and think critically about the situation and its possible outcomes.
Many social workers face the problems of homosexual teachers because education and child development are the fields where biases must be avoided but cannot be neglected. The offered scenario shows that social work with gay and lesbian clients is determined by knowledge, skills, and personal attitudes. Still, there are certain laws and conditions under which employees should not be a challenge for American citizens, and social workers have to support their clients and use strong evidence to prove the chosen positions.
References
Carbado, D. W. (2018). Privilege. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, D. C. J. Catalano, K. DeJong, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed., pp. 367-370). Routledge.
National Association of Social Workers. (2015). Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) and conversion therapy with lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender persons. Web.