Transgender & Gender-Diverse Youth
- Who are transgender and gender-diverse youth?
- How does someone know they are transgender?
- What is gender dysphoria?
- How is gender dysphoria diagnosed?
- How is gender dysphoria addressed?
- What is the goal of addressing gender dysphoria?
- Will anyone else in the family experience gender dysphoria?
- How will my family's life be changed?
- Resources
Who are transgender and gender-diverse youth?
How does someone know they are transgender?
What is gender dysphoria?
How is gender dysphoria diagnosed?
How is gender dysphoria addressed?
What is the goal of addressing gender dysphoria?
Will anyone else in the family experience gender dysphoria?
How will my family's life be changed?
Resources
Information & Support
Caring for Transgender & Gender-Diverse Youth
Assessment and management information for the primary care clinician caring for youth who are transgender and gender-diverse.
Care Notebook
Medical information in one place with fillable templates to help both families and providers. Choose only the pages needed to keep track of the current health care summary, care team, care plan, health coverage, expenses, scheduling, and legal documents. Available in English and Spanish.
Transgender Youth and Schools
Schools in Transition: Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12
Considerations and practical tips by age and topic (dress codes, names & pronouns, bullying, sex-separated facilities, etc.) for school teachers and administrators to support safe environments for transgender students (68 pages); by American Civil Liberties Union, Gender Spectrum, and other partners.
LGBT Youth & Schools Resources (ACLU)
A library of resources for school administrations and gender nonconforming students with information about harassment, free speech, privacy, suicide prevention, and more; American Civil Liberties Union.
Know Your Rights! A Guide for LGBT High School Students (ACLU)
A 7-page electronic resource with information for students about Title IX, privacy, freedom of speech, and more; American Civil Liberties Union.
Teaching Transgender Toolkit
Best practices, lesson plans, and resources for those who wish to facilitate trainings about transgender people, identities, and experiences; written by Dr. Eli R. Green, founder of The Transgender Training Institute, available for a fee.
Annotated Bibliography: LGBTQ Resources (

List of LGBTQ+ resources for students and teachers.
Legal Changes to Identity Documents
Gender Change and ID Documents (NCTE)
Find out how to get a legal name change where you live and update your name/gender on state and federal IDs and records; National Center for Transgender Equality.
How Do I Change My Gender on Social Security Records? (SSA)
Required documents and processes; Social Security Administration.
Gender Designation Change for Passports (U.S. Dept of State)
Requirements and answers to frequently asked questions about gender changes on U.S. passports.
Transgender Parents
Protecting the Rights of Transgender Parents and Their Children
A guide for parents who have transitioned or come out as transgender and are facing challenges to their legal status as parents; American Civil Liberties Union and National Center for Transgender Equality.
For Parents and Patients
Center of Excellence for Transgender Health (CoE)
Information, programs, and services for transgender individuals; Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, University of
California, San Francisco.
Facts for Families: Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth (AACAP)
An introduction for families about gender diversity; American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
How I Help Transgender Teens Become Who They Want to Be (TED Talk)
A TED talk (approx. 17 minutes) by Dr. Norman Spack at Boston's Children Hospital about his experience as one of the few doctors
in the United States to treat minors with hormone replacement therapy.
Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric (NGS)
A documentary that explores gender identity; National Geographic Society.
Where's My Book?: A Guide for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Youth, Their Parents, & Everyone Else
A 390-page book to help transgender youth through puberty. Explains the basics of gender identity, sexual orientation, puberty,
puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and gender-affirming surgeries - by Dr. Linda Gromko (2015).
The Gender Creative Child
A 304-page book for parents and professionals that explains the rapidly changing cultural, medical, and legal landscape of
gender and identity - by Diane Ehrensaft, PhD (2016).
Tools
The Genderbread Person ()
A popular infographic that breaks down gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, and sexual orientation into an
easy to understand visual.
Services for Patients & Families Nationwide (NW)
Service Categories | # of providers* in: | NW | Partner states (5) (show) | | NM | NV | OH | RI | UT | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adolescent Medicine | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | ||||
Child Abuse/Neglect/Violence | 13 | 26 | 83 | 14 | 25 | 140 | ||||
General Counseling Services | 1 | 4 | 209 | 1 | 30 | 349 | ||||
Nutrition Assessment Services | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||
Pediatric Cardiology | 2 | 4 | 17 | 5 | ||||||
Pediatric Endocrinology | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 4 | ||||
Pediatric Gastroenterology | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 4 | ||||
Pediatric Plastic Surgery | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
Pediatric Surgery [Discontinued] | ||||||||||
Psychiatry/Medication Management | 2 | 47 | 79 | 55 | ||||||
Speech - Language Pathologists | 4 | 22 | 13 | 4 | 31 | 69 |
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.
Studies
Transgender Youth (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Studies looking at better understanding, diagnosing, and treating this condition; from the National Library of Medicine.
Authors & Reviewers
Authors: | Nicole Mihalopoulos, MD, MPH |
Adam W. Dell, MD | |
Reviewers: | Aiden Green |
Dom Bortruex |
2019: first version: Adam W. Dell, MDA |