Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Alicia Powell
Abstract
Abstract Those who identify as members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities have been victims of bias and prejudicial attitudes. Because LGBTQIA+ people embody all cultures, races, religious convictions, and socioeconomic statuses, this creates additional barriers for some community members who identify as both Black and LGBTQIA+. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore social workers’ perceptions of intersectional invisibility when working with Black LGBTQIA+ clients and the strategies that social workers identify as beneficial in averting discrimination and bias when working with this community. Implicit bias theory and intersectionality theory provided the framework for the study Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 11 master-level social workers. Themes emerged from the coding analysis: (a) lack of complete understanding of the term intersectional invisibility, (b) lack of perceptional understanding of intersectional invisibility and how it affects the Black LGBTQIA+ community, (c) witnessing any form of bias or discrimination toward Black or LGBTQIA people while in practice, (d) negative impact on this community because of discrimination, and (e) strategies to prevent bias and discrimination for this community. Findings may promote positive social change when social workers understand and acknowledge their ethical responsibility to protect and support vulnerable populations like the Black LGBTQIA+ community.
Recommended Citation
Griffith, Dr. Tonya Y., "Intersectional Invisibility of Black LGBTQIA+ Client Strategies for Bias and Discrimination Prevention" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13395.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13395
