Texas Lets Social Workers Ditch LGBTQ Clients
Governor turns to regulation where law failed
A Texas state board just changed professional rules to let social workers turn away clients based on disability and LGBTQ status. Bizarre at first glance, the move opens a second front in a Texas battle to give all professional license holders the right to refuse to serve LGBTQ people. A proposed 2019 law failed in the state senate, but now the governor is turning to the regulatory front. This toxic move is a warning sign to all Americans. A U.S. Supreme Court with Amy Coney Barrett offers no protection. Genuine balkanization of equality is at hand.
Texas Governor orders anti-LGBTQ discrimination social workers call “a gut punch”
The Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously last Monday to let social workers keep their state licenses if they refuse to serve LGBTQ or disabled people. Board members say Governor Greg Abbott’s office recommended the change because state laws do not require protecting LGBTQ people and disabled people.
While regulatory boards in Texas (and all over the U.S.) routinely set professional conduct standards beyond minimum legal mandates, Governor Abbott wields strong power over Texas professional boards. The legislature…
