The family dynamic in the United States has evolved significantly in recent years. The restructuring of the family unit means that policies and attitudes need to adapt to support those changes. When policies and attitudes don’t shift with the changing structure, people suffer and specific populations find themselves at-risk through no fault of their own. Families compromised by lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) individuals are one population that continuously finds themselves at-risk socially and economically. According to Gates (2013) an estimated 6 million children and adults in the United States have a LGBT parent. When dealing with such a large population that is subject to discrimination and prejudice, it is imperative that …show more content…
The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges case ruled that state-level bans on marriage were unconstitutional. However, there are several states that implicitly and explicitly deny non-traditional families, including LGBT families, the right to foster or adopt children. In Michigan alone, there are currently 13,000 children who are waiting for a foster or adoptive family and the current laws allow agencies to turn families or couples who are headed by homosexual parents based on religious objections (Cooper, 2017). Cooper (2017) goes on to explain that there are similar laws in Alabama, South Dakota, Texas, North Dakota, Virginia and …show more content…
No matter the specifics of a given situation, the most important step is to approach the client’s problems in relation to their environment. Rogers (2016) explains that the person-in-environment approach is the cornerstone of social work practice because it views client problems in the environmental context in which they occur. Sexual orientation is not a stand-alone risk factor. It intersects with other issues that affect different genders, ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations and races. Address legal issues and advocate change. Social workers must be ready to advocate for their clients in regard to providing testimony, compiling research and assisting with hearings. A social worker must also be an advocate for fair and equal practices by initiating and supporting policy change when it is not meeting the needs of the people. It is the role of the social worker to participate in changing the political and social climate when it is not upholding fair and equal standards for all minority