At ACT for Youth we are interested in building resources for those working with transgender youth. To share a link, contact Karen Schantz at ks548@cornell.edu.
Where to Start
- ACT for Youth publications: Research fACTs and Findings 2-part series ACT for (Trans) Youth introduces current research. Part One, Growing Up Transgender: Research and Theory (pdf) introduces current research and theory on transgender identity formation. Part Two, Growing Up Transgender: Safety and Resilience (pdf) provides an introduction to the pressures trans youth face each day, and suggests ways to encourage resilience for trans youth.
- For definitions and introductory information, see Gender Spectrum Family’s gender related terminology.
- Newsweek’s May 21, 2007 issue included a resource list, personal histories, and an excellent article for general audiences, (Rethinking) Gender.
- Newsweek also hosted an online Q&A about transgender issues that is now available in the transcript It’s Not as Simple as Pink and Blue.
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Youth Voice: Essays from two young people who were featured in an MSNBC documentary give a poignant picture of growing up trans: I Never Felt Like A Girl, from Jake, and Growing Up Trapped in a Man's Body, from Tayler.
For Youth
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Activism: Young activists will find ideas for building strong schools and protecting trans rights in Lambda Legal's Bending the Mold: An Action Kit for Transgender Youth (pdf).
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First Steps: From Advocates for Youth comes I Think I Might be Trans, Now What Do I Do?
- Transyouth.com is an amazingly comprehensive site of resources for trans youth.
Inclusive Schools
- Students who want to make schools safe and inclusive will find ideas in the activist toolkit from Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Transgender Law Center, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights: Beyond the Binary (pdf).
- Students and educators seeking safe and inclusive schools should also visit the Safe Schools Coalition.
- Schools that are seeking to create an inclusive environment for transgender and gender non-conforming youth will benefit from these Transgender Law Center recommendations for schools.
For Providers
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A positive youth development perspective is offered in the ACT for Youth publication Growing Up Transgender: Safety and Resilience (pdf).
- Health care and human service providers will find ideas and resources for providing more inclusive service in the Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes guide Providing Transgender-Inclusive Healthcare .
- Advocates for Youth addresses provider practices in Tips and Strategies for Addressing the Challenges that Face Transgender Youth.
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A new Practice Brief from the National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University offers policymakers, administrators, and providers suggestions for Providing Services and Supports for Youth who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex or Two-Spirit (pdf).
- Safer sex: Michelle O'Brien helps non-trans risk reduction educators design approaches that will be more relevant to trans people in Keeping It Real: Transgender inclusion in safe sex education.
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Low income and homelessness: Trans-Health.com offers this frank and illuminating commentary on Lower Income Trans Health Concerns.
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Juvenile justice: In 2008, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) took steps to address GLBT discrimination in juvenile justice facilities through a landmark policy for gay and transgender youth.
For Families
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Trans Youth Family Allies partners with educators, service providers and communities to develop supportive environments in which gender may be expressed and respected.
- Support and information for families of transgender children are available from Gender Spectrum Family.
- Transproud helps parents understand the issues and support their transgender children.
- Safe Schools Coalition provides links for parents of transgender as well as lesbian, gay, or bisexual children in their resources for parents.
- Children’s National Medical Center has an online guide for parents concerned about a child’s gender behavior (pdf).
Transgender Rights
- Sexual Rights are Human Rights: On March 26, 2007, a groundbreaking set of principles on sexual orientation, gender identity, and international law was launched by a group of international human rights experts. Addressing a broad range of human rights standards and their application to issues of sex and gender, they are known as the Yogyakarta Principles .
As an aid to those who work with youth, ACT for Youth is beginning to compile resources on sexual health and adolescence: