Building Transgender and Gender Expansive Capacity in Social Work Education

Abstract

The problem to be addressed through this paper is the lack of advocacy and curriculum around transgender and gender expansive (TGE) issues in Social Work higher education. TGE people face threats to their rights through oppressive, state-level legislation, with 437 anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ+ bills as identified by the American Civil Liberties Union being debated (2024). Prock, et al, (2022) found that 40% of social work programs in religiously affiliated institutions used discriminatory language targeting TGE people in their student and faculty literature. This paper will describe recommendations for social work education and social work practice around TGE issues including faculty competence, expanding policies and written materials within programs, a focus on trauma-informed classrooms for TGE students, and seeking TGE-affirming practicum partners (Greenwood & Paceley, 2023). The scope of this research hopes to provide strategies for supporting TGE students and faculty in social work and identify effective strategies to infuse specific curricular changes into social work education to lessen the gap in competency in working with TGE populations.

Recommended Citation

Hallford, Ashling and Chapra, Aisha (2025) "Building Transgender and Gender Expansive Capacity in Social Work Education," Journal of Justice-Informed Social Work Practice and Research: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://spark.bethel.edu/jiswpr/vol1/iss1/4