10 Chapter 10: Trans and Nonbinary Identity

Grounding and Groundwork

CSWE Competency 3 Reminder: The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of factors including but not limited to age, caste, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, generational status, immigration status, legal status, marital status, political ideology, race, nationality, religion and spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that this intersectionality means that a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege and power. Social workers understand the societal and historical roots of social and racial injustices and the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination

• Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc (Human Rights Campaign, 2022)
• Cisgender is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth (Human Rights Campaign, 2022).
• Non-Binary is an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid(Human Rights Campaign, 2022).
• For many other definitions please consult the glossaries provided by GLAAD, 2022 & Human Rights Campaign, 2022
• Understanding Non-Binary (National Center for Transgender Equality, 2018)

Theoretical Frameworks/Models

• Trans Identity Development (P. 8-10)

Language Matters

• APA Antibias Guide: Gender,2022
• An Ally’s Guide to Terminology, GLAAD, 2022

Intersections & Institutions

• T/NB Identity & SES/Residential Life: The Crisis of Transgender Homelessness
• T/NB Identity and RSPW: Religious Differences regarding Trans Identity (Pew, 2022) & Enfleshed
• T/NB Identity & Sport: Trans Athletes Report (2023)
• T/NBIdentity & Media: What is a Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF)

Stories & Celebrations Related to Social Work Competencies

CSWE Competency 2 Reminder:

Social workers advocate for and engage in strategies to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social resources, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably and that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected.

• Dwayne Wade Fam (People, 2022)
• Free to Be Me Toolkit (Texas Trans Kids, 2022)
• Trans Awareness Project, 2022

Reflection & Next Steps

• Questions
• Connections
• Social Work Scenarios