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Resources for Parents/Guardians, Family Members and Allies of Gender Variant and Trans-Identified and Questioning Youth, and Gender Non-conforming Young Children This page was last updated on 07/05/08. If you know of errors please click here to let us know. Note - there are more resources on our YOUTH: Trans / Gender page.

 

"A guide for young trans people in the UK" - aims to offer information to young people who know they are trans or are confused about or questioning their gender in any way, so as to help clarify some of their questions and offer them language to express themselves. It was produced by a group of young trans people aged between 15 and 22 from the Sci:dentity group in conjunction with Gendered Intelligence and  GALYIC, with support from Wellcome Trust & NHS. http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/YP_trans.pdf   (pdf format) 

Answers to Your Questions About Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity. A brochure from the Office of Public Communication, in collaboration with the American Psychological Association Task Force on Gender Identity, Gender Variance, and Intersex Conditions, answering basic questions about transgender and listing some of the available resources. At http://www.apa.org/topics/transgender.html

Early Childhood Development - Your Options - How Do I Know If My Child Is Transgender? This web page from the National Association of Social Workers answers the questions:  What Is transgender?  Can a Child Be Transgender?  What Makes a Child Transgender?  Why Can’t My Child Be “Normal”?  How Should I Respond?  How Can I know If It’s a Phase?  Where Do I Get Help, Support, and More Information? http://www.helpstartshere.org/Default.aspx?PageID=1114

"An exploratory study of early childhood teachers' attitudes toward gender roles" This is a decade old study, but very interesting. Authored by Betsy Cahill, Eve Adams and published in Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, April, 1997. View it online here:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_n7-8_v36/ai_19656785/pg_1

Gender Spectrum Education and Training is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of the normal range of gender variations found in everyone. They offer individual consultation to therapists, police officers, lawyers, teachers, school administrators, social workers, camp directors, counselors, and parents; training for school staff (pre-K through university level); and workshops for parents and students. Gender Spectrum offers a monthly support group for parents of gender variant and transgender children at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California. http://www.genderspectrum.org

If You Are Concerned About Your Child's Gender Behaviors: A Parent guide: from Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C..  Sections include: Defining Gender-Variance; Commonly Seen Behaviors; Why Gender-Variance Occurs; What to Expect in the Future; Child's View of Himself; Can it be Changed?; How to Help; Pitfalls to Avoid; Dealing With My Feelings; and Seeking Professional Help. Printed copies of the booklet they publish in English & Spanish are available for a .50 donation to cover printing and postage.  http://www.dcchildrens.com/dcchildrens/about/subclinical/subneuroscience/subgender/guide.aspx  

Outreach Program for Children with Gender-Variant Behaviors and their Families at Children's National Medical Center: http://www.dcchildrens.com/dcchildrens/about/subclinical/subneuroscience/gender.aspx 

Mom, I Need To Be a Girl: This amazing book was written by the mom of a transsexual child who transitioned -- including surgery -- with mom's help while still in high school. It includes, at the end, sections with advice to trans youth and their parents, questions to ask in choosing a counselor, an endocrinologist, and more. The book is available free at the web site in Arabic, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Portuguese, and German - in html and pdf versions at http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Evelyn/Evelyn.html and in a 140 page second edition in English, published on December 27, 2007, ISBN: 1419684388 available at http://www.booksurge.com/Mom-I-Need-to-be-a/A/1419684388.htm

Our Trans Children: and in Spanish asNuestros/As Hijos/As Trans: this publication of the Transgender Network of PFLAG explains what it means to be transgender and discusses the special issues of transgender children and youth. It includes resources, a reading list of articles & book reviews and more.  The fourth edition can be accessed as a pdf file or ordered at:  http://www.pflag.org/TNET_Store.788.0.html 4th Edition: http://www.pflag.org/fileadmin/user_upload/TNET/Our_Trans_Children_Version_4.pdf   (pdf format) and same in Spanish: http://www.pflag.org/fileadmin/user_upload/TNET/Nuestros_as_V3_Master_small.pdf  (pdf format) 

Parent Support Group for families with gender variant children: sponsored by Seattle's Children's Hospital and Gender Spectrum http:/www.genderspectrum.org. The group meets from 5:00 - 7:00 pm on the third Sunday of every month. At Children's Hospital and Medical Center, 4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Room W-3700. For specific directions, please call Aidan at 1-877-809-4159 (toll free). The Gender Spectrum group at Children's Hospital is free of charge and provides parents and other family members an opportunity to find information, gain an understanding of the natural and unique gender expression of their children, and learn from each other the ways in which they can support their child at home, in school, and in their neighborhood. Parents also share their family's experiences with doctors, therapists, school administrators and teachers.

A Path to Greater Understanding: This web page introduces you to ten people whose stories may surprise you. If you have always wondered what "transgender" and "intersex" meant, check this page out. If you have wondered whether there was a place in religious institutions for gender-different people, check this page out and consider ordering the booklet by the same name: http://www.madeinimage.org/

Transgender 102: This page from the Unitarians' Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns contains very useful definitions and a section on how to be understanding and welcoming of transgender people: http://www.uua.org/documents/obgltc/transgender102.pdf  (pdf format)

Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Youth: Recommendations for Schools. See this really important document from the Transgender Law Center. It addresses problems ranging from lack of gender-neutral bathrooms to confidentiality, with specific recommendations for addressing each problem: http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/tranny/pdfs/Recomendations%20for%20Schools.pdf (pdf format)

Transsexual Roadmap: See especially "self-acceptance" and "transitioning early in life" http://www.tsroadmap.com

Transgender-inclusive Policies in Schools, Colleges and Universities: http://www.transgenderlaw.org/college/index.htm#schools

Why Don't You tell Them I'm a Boy? Raising a Gender-Nonconforming Child by Florence Dillon, mom.  http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/whydontyoutellthem.pdf  (pdf format)

Books: Becoming a Visible Man by Jamison Green Finding the Real Me: True Tales of Sex and Gender Diversity edited by Tracie O’Keefe and Katrina Fox Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us by Kate Bornstein Luna by Julie Ann Peters [fiction] Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides [fiction] Mom, I Need To Be a Girl by Just Evelyn, download here  (pdf format) My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely by Kate Bornstein She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan Trans Forming Families, Real Stories About Transgendered Loved Ones edited by Mary Boenke Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink of Blue by Leslie Feinberg Transgender Warriors: Making History From Joan of Arc to RuPaul by Leslie Feinberg Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers - by Cris Beam   http://www.harcourtbooks.com/bookcatalogs/bookpage.asp?isbn=0151011966&option=reading   Read an Excerpt / Table of Contents / Reading Guide and a 10 page pdf file reading guide / Teacher Guide and an 8 page pdf file teacher guide True Selves – Understanding Transsexualism by Mildred L. Brown, PhD and Chloe Ann Rounsley Why Don't You tell Them I'm a Boy? Raising a Gender-Nonconforming Child by Florence Dillon, download here (pdf format)

LINKS:

ACLU's Get Equal Project's Gender Identity & Trans Rights page

Center for Gender Sanity
Gender.org,  The Gender Education & Advocacy

Gender Public Advocacy Coalition

Gender Spectrum  
International Foundation for Gender Education
National Transgender Advocacy Coalition
PFLAG's Transgender Network 
The Renaissance Transgender Association

Sylvia Rivera Law Project  
Transcend, the Transgender Support and Education Society

TransFamily
TransGender Care
Transgender Health Pages from Public Health - Seattle & King County
Transgender Law and Policy Institute

TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation

TransParentcy 
trans*topia, Youth Resource's site for transgender, transsexual and genderqueer young people 

 

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