Committee on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression

The activities of the Committee on SOGIE Issues include working for the adoption of policies and legislation to end all forms of discrimination based on homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism in all social institutions and in the public and private sectors.

For information on the latest SOGIE policy developments, please visit our advocacy partner Equality Texas.

Contact Us

sogie.naswtx@socialworkers.org

Follow the NASW-TX SOGIE Committee on Facebook!

Committee Members

LEADERSHIP

Chair: Ashley Heidebrecht, LMSW (She/Her/Hers)

Secretary: OPEN

MEMBERS

Jennifer Nichols, LMSW(She/Her/Hers)
Raymond Castilleja, Jr., LCSW-S (He/Him/His)

Steven L. Parks, LCSW-S, MBA, RPT-Stm (He/Him/His)

  Aiden Morales, BSW(He/They)
  W. John Arlotto, LCSW-S (He/Him/His)
  Stacia Barrett, LCSW-S (She/Her/Hers)
  Ginger Chun, LMSW (She/Her/Hers)
  Catelyn Devlin, LMSW, LCPAA-I (She/Her/Hers)

Abbey Goodman (She/Her)

Dani Corbett, BSW student (She/Her)

Whitney Callari, LCSW-A (She/Her)

Miranda Bennett, BSW Student (She/Her)

Rynn Miles, MSW Student (She/They)

Mission

The NASW Texas Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity/Expression (SOGIE) committee strives to empower the lives, ethical practice, evidence-based practice, and advocacy of Texas Social Workers, social work students, and the SOGIE community across the life span and all who identify with SOGIE. The committee seeks to advocate for and promote SOGIE-affirming policies, laws, programs, and services and provide linkage to the programs for individuals, families, groups, and the community. {As such, the SOGIE Committee recognizes that protecting the civil and human rights of all SOGIE Texans is integral to and interconnected to our field's ethical and evidence-based practice. Therefore, the activities of the SOGIE Committee include fostering intersectionality in our work to end all forms of discrimination based on homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism in all social institutions and in the public and private sectors. The committee promotes ongoing social and racial justice efforts to advance practices that address systemic oppression and increase accountability across institutions.

As such, this starts with the intended use of the SOGIE acronym and continues with our seven distinct driving principles that focus our work on promoting social justice, providing advice and consultation, building community, serving as a linkage with our national counterparts, and various state-level advocacy groups, advocating for affirming legislation and practice, creating opportunities for continuing education, and elevating social work practice.

Driving Principles:

1. Social Justice | In partnership with the NASW Texas Board of Directors and other Equity Committees, the SOGIE Committee is committed to conducting all conversations, events, and initiatives through an intersectional, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lens. We intend to recognize the historical and current divisions within the SOGIE community and strive to hold accountable our community and the field of social work in undoing oppressive structures.

2. Advice & Consultation | The SOGIE Committee is committed to striving and holding our community and field accountable through providing advice and consultation that serves the field and association based on ethical and evidence-based practice.

3. Community & Linkage | Provide space, time, and opportunity for creating a cohesive and supportive SOGIE Social Work community. Foster concrete linkages between SOGIE Social Workers and bolster relationships with SOGIE organizations throughout the state of Texas. Work closely with other committees in NASW-TX to ensure the visibility and legibility of projects within the SOGIE community.

4. Advocating for Affirming Legislation & Practice | Actively advocate for and support legislation and evidence-based practice that protects SOGIE rights and promotes the health, safety, and success of all SOGIE persons. Developing long-term strategic goal(s) to influence a social client outside of the legislative session, moving from crisis to prevention, thus ensuring that all services, public spaces, and such are available and safe for those of varying SOGIE Spectrum.

5. Professional Development | Elevate SOGIE voices through professional training to educate social workers and promote best practices for supporting and empowering SOGIE populations across practice settings. This includes advocating for and working with Social work programs across the state to help develop intersectionality courses in the curriculum focused on the integrative inclusion of LGBTQ+ (SOGIE issues).

6. Social Work Practice | Develop and promote best practice interventions and paradigms with and for the SOGIE community through familiarity with current SOGIE-centered research, thoughtful use of dynamic language, and involvement in projects and events that affect SOGIE practitioners and consumers.

7. Membership | Work to increase committee membership and develop subcommittees to distribute responsibilities and promote community and committee capacity building.

In the spirit of the SOGIE community, with language that ever evolves to capture our identities and experiences best, this information is fluid and subject to change as we learn how to most radically serve and engage queer, trans, and gender-fluid folx. Any changes will be discussed and agreed upon by the SOGIE Committee in consultation with the NASW-Texas Board of Directors and Ethics Committee.

SOGIE Listserv

Want to join the SOGIE Listserv? Send an email request to naswtex.naswtx@socialworkers.org to be added to the subscriber list and then you'll be able to send in your post to it at this address: SOGIE@list.naswtx.org