Winning Articles

Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails: Gender Inclusion Creates Pro-Social Relations (2004)

Tracy Ford

Edward Johns Urwick was a professor of social work at the University of Toronto during the development of professional social work in Canada. Urwick emphasized that social work was fundamentally about creating the social good, and stated, "Social good [is] based on people achieving the right to fit among themselves.¹

Currently, the Children's Aid Society of Toronto (CAS-Toronto) provides leadership in child welfare service provision to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-Sexual and Trans-Gendered (LGBTT) youth through nondiscrimination policies and mandatory sensitivity training for front-line workers. With the support of the agency, workers deliver services that impact positively on diverse service populations. By facilitating people's rights to fit and by changing conventional attitudes about sexual and gender norms, workers create pro-social environments for youth in care.

An excellent example of this supportive work in practice occurred when a frontline CAS-Toronto worker was on an outing with a nine-year old youth in care shortly after he received his allowance. The boy approached the worker, appealing to her about the two products he wished to purchase, a flowery ring, or make-up. The worker was cognizant of gender diversity and identity development as a result of her employment with the agency. Although surprised, the worker, in a nonjudgmental tone, asked the boy, "What's stopping you from getting both?"

The boy responded that he did not have enough money, and could only afford one of the items. When the worker asked which item he would prefer to purchase, he identified the flowery ring. The worker realized that the youth knew which item he wanted, but still had come to her for advice for some reason. The worker asked, "What is stopping you from purchasing the ring?" The boy responded that he was afraid of being made fun of by peers at the group home. The worker explained that, if he purchased the ring, she would do everything in her power to support him and his choice to wear the ring. She also cautioned the boy that he may still receive negative attention from peers, and asked him what he was willing to "take on" for wearing the ring. The boy considered the response of the worker, and chose to purchase the flowery ring despite the potential consequences.

When the boy showed the ring to his peers, they teased him about wearing "girls" jewellery. The worker supported the boy by stopping the teasing as it was occurring, and explained to the boy's peers that there is nothing wrong with the boy's choice. The input of the worker impacted on the entire group of boys in the home because, within the week, all of the boys purchased rings. In fact, they formed a "ring club" in which the boy was a member.²

The worker successfully facilitated a process whereby the boy was able to "achieve the right to fit amongst his peers," even when he stepped outside of conventional gendered expectations for young boys. More than that, the worker placed the healthy development of the boy and his environment at the forefront of her practice.

Tracy Ford, MSW, is Co-ordinator of Services for LGBTT Youth at the Children's Aid Society of Toronto.

¹Moffatt, Ken (2001) A Poetics of Social Work, University of Toronto Press, Toronto

²Special thanks to Krista Phillipchuk for sharing this anecdote with CAS-Toronto's LGBTT Program staff