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Critical events in Leonard Matlovich's life depict a reluctant activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) equality. He served in the US military and subsequently came to personify the broad social challenges to the military's homophobic culture and recruitment practices. Matlovich's experience of a series of life metamorphoses made a difference beyond the individual. His example inspired multitudes of other concerned citizens in how to undertake their metamorphoses to challenge institutionalized homophobia. Breakthrough learning experiences in Matlovich's life are presented to explore and refine aspects of transformative learning theory by applying Jane Martin's metamorphosis model. The learning nexus between individuals and society is shown to be a dynamic interaction where both aspects of Matlovich's story and his influence are explored in the context of today's LGBTQ+ equality struggles. The article shows the conducive personal and societal conditions that enabled his various metamorphoses as whole-of-individual identity and sociocultural crossings toward transformational change. Additionally, the implications of Martin's educational metamorphosis are discussed. Adult educators are encouraged to emphasize learning located in the learner's life circumstances, exemplary case studies to inspire cultural crossings against injustice, and transformations as being about grasping in situ learning opportunities in the cross-influence between the whole person and their socio-historical context. Matlovich's experiences show how relevant dimensions of Martin's theoretical approach, coupled with support from allies, can contribute to personal agency and can build a groundswell of learning needed to support activism for social justice movements.

bell hooks is regarded as one of the most influential cultural critics, writers and speakers of the last fifty years. She has published more than forty books which collectively articulate a feminist critique of white supremacy, capitalism and patriarchy. At the same time, she offers a loving, non-violent and just vision for attaining collective and personal well-being. Hooks makes feminist theory meaningful as a guide not only for Black American women but also for anyone seeking to resist inequality and discrimination due to race, class and gender. Her main thesis is that where there is love there can be no oppression. hooks's contribution is traced through some of the key themes of her books which explicitly refer to love to develop a rich understanding of love and its transformative power. These contributions are then considered for the relevance they have for social work. Social workers can practice love by fostering their own and others': self-love; willingness to learn; and cultural responsiveness. Two loving practices with other people are dadirri (deep listening) and narrative resistance. Love provides the power to do the justice and healing work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial, relational and cultural safety are critical elements of trauma-informed social work practice, gaining momentum in social work education. Culturally responsive and trauma-informed pedagogical approaches meet the definition of safety. The aim is to create a democratic, collaborative, and reflexive space whereby students and educators can feel simultaneously supported in the diversity of their respective lived experiences and learning. The challenges in fostering these learning and teaching spaces are reflected upon at one Australian university which responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by quickly transitioning to online learning without prior planning and consultation. The reflection describes the challenges and opportunities in delivering online content and the use of spatial, relational and cultural safety to navigate these challenges. The authors demonstrate the Aboriginal practice of social Yarning for use in online classrooms. Yarning helps educators and students attend to safety as an integral dimension of social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]