Texas Reverses Decision That Allowed Social Workers To Deny LGBT+, Disabled Clients
The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) has reinstated protections that bar social workers from refusing services to LGBT+ people with disabilities.
Earlier this month (Oct. 12) the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners made a decision which had stripped language from its code of conduct that protected clients from being turned away on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had recommended that the board remove the nondiscrimination language, suggesting that it went beyond the state's current policy.
According to ‘NBC News’, the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers applauded the reversal and said over 24,000 people had signed its online petition protesting the decision to remove the protections.
“This was a big win today for advocacy, the board and for nondiscrimination,” said the association's executive director, Will Francis. “But this is still Texas, and there are no underlying protections for LGBTQ persons. So had these nondiscrimination protections been stripped away, that really would have left people vulnerable, so we need legislation that ensures that there is protection.”
Francis added that despite Tuesday's vote, there's still a chance that the nondiscrimination protections could be diluted.
The statewide LGBT+ organisation Equality Texas said that even a non-binding opinion from Paxton's office could harm the fragile protections and would only legitimise “an opinion from an attorney general who has built his career in part on promoting discrimination against LGBTQ+ Texans.”
“We can attest that the October 12 vote and rule change did great harm to the mental health and wellbeing of many LGBTQ and disabled people across Texas,” Ricardo Martinez, CEO of Equality Texas, said in a statement. “A good-faith analysis of this issue affirms what is clearly written into state statute: the BHEC has the power to set ethical standards for licensed social workers.”
After the vote, Gloria Canseco, an Abbott appointee to lead the council, apologised for the Oct. 12 rule change, which was “perceived as hostile to the LGBTQ+ community or to disabled persons.”
Jose Menéndez, a Democratic state senator from San Antonio who testified at the council meeting, said the reinstatement of the nondiscrimination protections is a “victory for everyone who believes that there's no place for discrimination against anyone for any reason and a repudiation of the governor's recommendation.”
“When anyone would propose to remove language that protects someone from being discriminated against simply because of who they are, that sends a message that you are fair game and you may not matter as much as anyone else,” Menéndez said, adding that the subsequent reversal “sends a message that advocacy matters, speaking up matters and by working together we can all make a difference.”
Menéndez said that to prevent a similar situation from happening again, he will file nondiscrimination legislation in the Legislature with Rep. Jessica González, a Democrat from Dallas.
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