5 Resources Every Trans Youth Should Know About
This month at QueerDoc, we’re talking about youth and teens. Last week was all about social media and transgender youth and we promised to share some of our favorite online resources for trans teens.
We couldn’t narrow down our list to just five links, so we opted for five categories: Overall Support, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Your Rights at School, Your Healthcare Rights, and Bodies and Sex.
Without further ado, here they are:
Overall Support:
The Trevor Project is probably best known for crisis support services: they have chat, phone, and text support programs for LGTBTQ+ youth.
However, they also have an extensive resource center with information on mental health, sexual health, gender identity, and related topics, and a moderated, affirming community space for youth ages 13 – 24.
Video chat based support groups where youth can connect with other gender diverse youth can be found at TransFamilies Support Services, Trans Families, and Gender Spectrum which are all linked off of our Virtual Communities and Support Groups page.
Other starting points:
Anti-discrimination Laws:
Check out the Movement Advancement Project for information on anti-discrimination laws by state. Lambda Legal also has information by state,
GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders focuses on New England states, but also provides information on several categories of federal rights for LGBTQ youth.
Your Rights at School:
The resources below help clarify your rights at school. Additionally, GenderSpectrum has made an amazing Schools in Transition resource page with a step-by-step guide for supporting trans youth at school and an FAQ about bathrooms. Our favorite resource there is the Gender Support Plan which is an individualized plan you create for your youth with their school support team.
More resources for students:
- The National Center for Transgender Equality
- Fact Sheet from the Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights
Your Healthcare Rights:
State laws govern your right to make medical decisions for yourself. It’s complicated! Here are some guides:
- Schoolhouse Connection’s Guide to Minor Consent to Routine Healthcare
- Guttmacher.org on consent law for reproductive health services
- Guide to your vaccination rights, (includes some general information about minor consent laws by state.)
Bodies and Sex:
- Amaze.org provides great sex ed resources for younger adolescents.
- Sex Positive Families has an outstanding searchable resource database.
- Planned Parenthood’s Sex Education Courses
- Gender inclusive fact sheet on forms of contraception
- Callen-Lorde’s Guide to Safer Binding
- Callen-Lorde’s Safer Tucking Guide
We can’t close this blog without including our own resource collection (general and by state!)
We’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite resources?
All links reviewed in November, 2021.