I first came to SP2 as an MSW student focused on working
with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and
communities. I saw Penn’s MSW program as a great opportunity for me to develop the
techniques and skills to provide direct services to LGBTQ individuals and to
effectively advocate for this population. While I found the MSW curriculum to
be very useful in helping me to develop many social work skills, I also
experienced a strong pull towards focusing on the larger systems and structures
that have historically oppressed LGBTQ communities. While I still saw the
potential impact that I could have as a social worker working with LGBTQ
individuals, I decided to pursue a dual MSW/MSSP program because of the opportunity
to investigate both the direct services that can benefit this community as well
as the broader policies that can either marginalize these communities or
encourage their progress.
I have been interested not only in how social policy and
advocacy can be used to improve outcomes for LGBTQ communities, but also in how
members of these communities can organize to push for important policy changes
at the federal, state, and local level. While there has been incredible
progress for LGBTQ populations in the past decade, there is still a great
amount of work to be done, especially for the most marginalized sub-communities
within this population. For the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ
population, access to LGBTQ-sensitive resources is often scarce and adverse
physical, social, emotional, and economic outcomes ensue. I was able to pull
these issues into my MSSP coursework to gain a fuller understanding of these
factors and outcomes.
After the conclusion of my MSSP coursework, my MSSP
internship provided the perfect opportunity to learn more about how these
forces interact and affect vulnerable members of LGBTQ communities. As an
intern with the Philadelphia-based LGBT Elder Initiative (lgbtei.org), I have
gained invaluable experience in both the provision of community-based services
as well as in community organizing and political advocacy. The LGBT Elder
Initiative formed out of a need to connect LGBTQ older adults with culturally
sensitive services in the aging network. The organization seeks to improve the
ways that agencies provide direct services to seniors as well as the policies
that are enacted that impact LGBTQ older adults.
As the baby boomer generation matures, and as acceptance of
LGBTQ identities continues to increase, the number of “out” LGBT older adults
in the United States is expected to more than double in the next 15 years. Waiting
to meet this rapidly growing population is a system of aging service
organizations and policies that have never before given focus to this
population of older adults. The Pennsylvania State Plan on Aging, for example,
makes no mention of LGBTQ older adults, despite the unique needs of this
population. LGBTQ older adults have already lived through decades of often
heinous discrimination that has left lasting physical, emotional, social, and
economic impacts. Still today, LGBTQ older adults in Pennsylvania are open to
legal discrimination in the provision of social services and placement in
nursing homes and assisted-care facilities.
Through my internship with the MSSP program, I have been
able to develop hands-on real-world experience that has complemented the skills
and patterns of thought that I gained as a social policy student. I have
utilized skills gained from my MSSP academic experience such as program evaluation,
community organizing, statistical analysis, media outreach, and policy
research. Since the conclusion of my internship, I have continued to work with
the agency in a volunteer capacity, assisting in the development and
implementation of our educational programming and helping to lead our new
Policy & Advocacy Committee. I also have two guest lectures scheduled for
the fall at Rutgers University focused on the intersections of social work, social
policy, and public health as it pertains to LGBT older adults. I am grateful to
the MSSP program for having opened up these opportunities and for having
prepared me with the background necessary to succeed in this capacity.
(David Griffith completed his MSSP degree in August 2014 and is expected to receive his MSW in May 2015)
(David Griffith completed his MSSP degree in August 2014 and is expected to receive his MSW in May 2015)
