KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL WORKERS TOWARDS TRANSGENDER YOUTH IN CHILD WELFARE A Project Presented to the faculty of the Division of Social Work California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK by Amanda Molteni SUMMER 2020 © 2020 Amanda Molteni ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL WORKERS TOWARDS TRANSGENDER YOUTH IN CHILD WELFARE A Project by Amanda Molteni Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair David Nylund, Ph.D. ____________________________ Date iii Student: Amanda Molteni I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and this project is suitable for electronic submission to the library and credit is to be awarded for the project. __________________________, Graduate Program Director___________________ Tyler M. Argüello, Ph.D. Date Division of Social work iv Abstract of KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL WORKERS TOWARDS TRANSGENDER YOUTH IN CHILD WELFARE by Amanda Molteni With increasing visibility of transgender individuals in the public consciousness, and the disproportionate rate of transgender youth in foster care, this researcher explored the training and knowledge of child welfare social workers and the ethical responsibility to practice social work competently. Queer Theory and Intersectionality were used to critique the heteronormative framework of gender and the pathologizing of transgender identities. Qualitative interviews with six Northern California child welfare social workers examined beliefs about gender, experiences with transgender foster youth, academic and workplace training, and what tools are needed to practice competent social work. Analysis of the interviews indicated a need for greater exposure to transgender voices, academic training and continuing education with a focus on language, needs, and policies, and training for the resource families who provide daily care for transgender foster youth. _____________________________, Committee Chair David Nylund, Ph.D. _______________________ Date v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my husband, Dave, for his unwavering belief that I am capable of anything, no matter how many times I try to tell him otherwise. He has always been able to see me before I could see myself. I am forever grateful to my children for their ability to be functional, independent people, who don’t believe my sole purpose in life is to live exclusively for them. I want to acknowledge my dog, Milo, for his willingness to be furiously hugged whenever I am anxious, which has been more often than not over the last two years, and increasingly more than that in the last few months. I want to thank my friends, who tell me no less than one time a week that I am going to do amazing things, who participate in late night group texts 80 messages deep, who make me laugh and feel and think, and who run through the woods with me for hours to soothe my worried soul. Thank you to my advisor, Dr. David Nylund, who agreed to work with me and who has shown me grace and understanding throughout the process. And finally, I am grateful to the social work community, who showed me their humility, their willingness to show up and help those in need, and their deep desire for growth for understanding. They have given me such hope and faith in the field of social work. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. vi List of Tables ........................................................................................................... x Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..........………………………………………………………… 1 Statement of the Research Problem ............................................................... 4 Study Purpose ............................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................. 7 Definition of Terms and Abbreviations ......................................................... 7 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................. 10 Sex and Gender ............................................................................................ 10 Gender Development .................................................................................. 12 Gender as a Mental Disorder ....................................................................... 14 Transphobia ................................................................................................ 16 Social Work with Transgender Individuals ................................................... 19 Transgender Youth in Child Welfare Systems ............................................. 21 Theoretical Frameworks.............................................................................. 22 Queer Theory .................................................................................. 23 Intersectionality ............................................................................... 24 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 25 vii 3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 26 Study Objectives .......................................................................................... 26 Study Design ............................................................................................... 26 Sampling Procedures ................................................................................... 28 Data Collection Procedures .......................................................................... 28 Instruments .................................................................................................. 29 Data Analysis............................................................................................... 30 Protection of Human Subjects ...................................................................... 30 4. STUDY FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ....................................................... 32 Overall Findings ......................................................................................... 32 Specific Findings ........................................................................................ 33 Gender as a Social Construct ...................................................................... 33 Gender as a Binary ........................................................................... 34 Gender Norms ................................................................................. 34 Gender Expression .......................................................................... 35 Training ...................................................................................................... 36 Training in Graduate Degree Programs ............................................ 36 Training in the Workplace ............................................................... 37 Continuing Education ...................................................................... 39 Implicit Bias Training...................................................................... 40 Training for Caregivers ................................................................... 41 Trauma ....................................................................................................... 42 viii Reduced Trauma ............................................................................. 42 Trauma Unrelated to Gender Identity .............................................. 43 Trauma in Placement Related to Gender Identity ............................. 44 Fear of Causing Offense.............................................................................. 45 Sexual Orientation ...................................................................................... 45 Religion ....................................................................................................... 47 Interpretation of the Findings ...................................................................... 47 Summary .................................................................................................... 51 5. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 52 Summary of Study ...................................................................................... 52 Implications for Social Work ...................................................................... 54 Recommendations for Future Research ....................................................... 55 Study Limitations........................................................................................ 56 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 57 Appendix A. Recruitment Email ........................................................................... 59 Appendix B. Verbal Consent Script ...................................................................... 60 Appendix C. Interview Guide ............................................................................... 62 References .............................................................................................................. 63 ix LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1. Interview