Texas reverses decision that allowed social workers to deny LGBTQ, disabled clients
Category: News & Politics
Via: sister-mary-agnes-ample-bottom • 4 years ago • 27 commentsBy: Sydney Bauer (MSN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Texas reverses decision that allowed social workers to deny LGBTQ, disabled clients
A Texas regulatory board has reinstated protections that bar social workers from refusing services to LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.
The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, or BHEC, on Tuesday unanimously reversed an Oct. 12 decision made by the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners, 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.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, had recommended that the board remove the nondiscrimination language, suggesting that it went beyond the state's current policy.
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 not 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 said that despite Tuesday's vote, there's still a chance that the nondiscrimination protections could be diluted. Following the vote to reinstate the protections, the nine-member council voted in favor of having the office of state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, weigh in on the changes to the code of conduct.
The statewide LGBTQ organization Equality Texas said that even a nonbinding opinion from Paxton's office could harm the fragile protections and would only legitimize "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, apologized for the Oct. 12 rule change, which was "perceived as hostile to the LGBTQ+ community or to disabled persons," according to The Texas Tribune.
Requests for comment from the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council and Abbott's office were not immediately returned.
Jose Menendez, a Democratic state senator from San Antonio who testified at Tuesday's 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," Menendez 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."
Menendez said that to prevent a similar situation from happening again, he will file nondiscrimination legislation in the Legislature with Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, a Democrat from Dallas.
Tags
Who is online
494 visitors
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.
oh well, he tried. sorry thumpers, no cash refunds.
He certainly did try, didn't he? While Abbott's lips are so firmly glued to Trump's butt, I'm sure that this isn't the last of his shifty shenanigans.
When is he up for re-election?
his chances look a bit dismal at this point in time. too bad the state board didn't alter the language to prohibit a disabled governor from serving the rest of his term. hopefully after his term is complete, greg finds himself in a very slow freight elevator with 4 gay body builders that want their baseball bats autographed.
What's wrong with him? Disability that is
Paralyzed waist down after an accident...
That's a shame. But he has to recognize that without protections for disabled and LGBT people he may never have reached the highest office in Texas
Butt, he wasn't born that way...
Well...that's crap. People don't choose to be born
A tree branch fell on him while he was out on a walk while in his 20's. I will not mention my opinion regarding his...accident.
On an unrelated/related note, my cousin once had a pet pigeon named Mr. Peepers.
A tree branch? He didn't hear it coming down so he could get out of the way? If you could see my face right now....
Mr. Peepers? Sounds like a cool name for a pigeon
Yep. He finagled for himself open-ended funding for his disability, while others in need can go pound sand, I guess.
That's the definition of selfish
She went back and forth between Mr. Peepers and Governor Peepers.
He was out on a walk about or running after a hurricane passed and as he walked past a neighbors house a huge tree fell on him partially paralyzing his legs
Anyhow they found in discovery that the tree company recommended trimming the tree a few years before
( what tree company wouldn't? )
So the tree company , home owner and insurance company lost bigly to Mr. Abbott.
Does anyone besides me think the Mrs pushed that tree down on him?
Excellent.
Too right!
2022 is going to be a bad year for this particular governor. None of us are going to forget how he sold us all out just to remain in Trump's good graces.
How about your "Lt Gov"...... Sounds like he's a piece of work too.
Reminds me of our own Christian Crusader, lol
Can't wait to vote against him either. ;lol
Good to see there are still working brain cells in Texas
Michael Bloomberg is funding millions of dollars worth of tv ads for Biden , in Texas, over the next week. He concluded that Biden has a shot to win Texas and he (Bloomberg) would pitch in.
So they say they will change it back but want the state DA to say something about it first, to maybe dilute it some?
Who votes for these assholes...
TexASS republicans
= assholes
I see that there is a legal argument for the language change, but it seems unnecessary. That argument appears to be that since state law doesn't prohibit the discrimination, there shouldn't be an administrative rule punishing someone for doing it.
On the other hand, there is nothing saying you can't place stronger protections in the administrative rules, so they have been restored. Good!
But the bigger question is why would you seek to make it easier to discriminate against people? Texas should enshrine these protections into state law. How hard is it to simply govern from a perspective of compassion for people?