Why Transgender Rights Matter for Social Work

“This [disability] is a part of the human condition, this is a part of being a human being and we need as a society to be able to include everybody in all kind of life circumstances.”

“Motivational interviewing — it’s not a clinical intervention, or maybe even a technique, which might feel radical to say, but it’s a way of being with people. ... We all deserve a safe space, and we all deserve a really good listener, too.”

“The past is carried with us in many different ways. ... Childhood trauma impacts the development of the self, and we carry ourselves with us.”

"The podcast has been in great hands over the last years and we’ve been able to provide… topics that are varied and that go more than just surface deep. I know for me that’s one of the things that keeps me listening.” – Todd Sage

“If you are stripped of representation ... your worth is not being recognized. It’s another form of erasure.”

"What I think is at stake is the future of social work. The future of the profession and what it is and who we are as social workers and who we say we're going to be."

“Having just one supportive adult for a young LGBTQ person can decrease their suicide risk by as much as 40%.”

“We cannot close our eyes to the fact that we inhabit this incredibly precarious moment… there is urgent work to do.”

“If your patients aren’t telling you about this stuff that they’re doing because they don’t think you know enough about it, you wouldn’t be able to handle it or you couldn’t relate to it, that’s a problem.”

By working together, social work and public interest technology fields ensure that advanced technology is not just powerful or profitable, but also equitable and ethically sound.” – Soobin Kim, PhD