Revealing Disagreement and Discomfort through Auto-ethnography and Personal Narrative

Abstract

Social worker educators in the UK are familiar with social issues of exclusion and marginalization, and are used to teaching about sexual abuse or sexual exploitation. However, many are less informed about work with gay people or with broader issues of sexuality. Adopting an auto-ethnographical perspective and using semi-structured discussion groups (which were audio taped, transcribed and analysed), this small group of gay and ‘straight’ practitioners and academics explored current social work practice and culture in the North East of England and reflected on their own learning and teaching experiences. They identified three key themes: differing opinions about what is regarded as an acceptable level of disclosure about personal information, disagreement about the use and meaning of key terms, and discomfort and defensiveness among social work educators, practitioners and students when addressing these issues. These findings are presented alongside some of the literature in this area, highlighting the links with professionals’ exclusion of gay people and the marginalization of gay and ‘straight’ issues in education and practice.