ABSTRACT
The promotion of such a critical debate must take into account different dimensions. The first dimension concerns social work’s relationship with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People (LGBT) movements, their ideas and achievements. A second dimension regards social work’s position in the global promotion of LGBT rights, the formal equality agenda and the recognition of LGBT people in policy and legislation. The debate concerns the ways social work itself approaches and deals with issues of sexuality and gender. The chapter provides an overview on the different aspects, paying attention to discussions on the development of an appropriate knowledge base that can inform critical social work’s pursuit for social justice in relation to issues of sexuality and gender. Queer theorists challenge normative expectations in connection to sexuality and gender, question heterosexuality as the norm taken for granted and show the socially constructed and normative nature of sexual and gender identities.
