HRC and national pediatric organizations team up for new guide on raising transgender kids

GayRVA Staff
September 29, 2016

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Read More: American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians, Human Rights Campaign, The Human Rights Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics, transgender kids

Transgender rights have been on the forefront of the fight for equality for sometime, but consistent guidelines and recommendations on how to care and support the community’s youngest members are still far and few between.

Now, The Human Rights Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians, have teamed up to help tackle some of that problem. The groups have united to produce “Supporting and Caring for Transgender Children,” a new 24-page guide which aims to outline some of the issues trans kids face and how parents should handle them.

“While our country continues its national conversation around transgender equality, we must never forget that at the center of this dialogue are real children fighting to be seen, valued and respected,” said Mary Beth Maxwell, HRC’s Senior Vice President for Programs, Research, and Trainings.  Maxwell called the new partnership a way to reinforce the “overwhelming medical consensus” around respecting and affirming transgender youth. “This new guide provides parents and clinicians alike with vital information in their ongoing pursuit of doing right by all young people… [it] is not only necessary, but also potentially lifesaving.”

The resource guide offers a number of helpful tips and ideas as well as a boat load of information for parents who might be struggling to understand what their child is going through.

From finding the right words to describe where your child lies on the gender spectrum, to terms like “genderqueer” and “non-binary” which can impact gender, but also other aspects of life.

“We know more than ever before about what transgender children need to grow up safe and healthy, and a large part of that is being accepted, nurtured and supported in their gender identity by their family, physicians and community,” said Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the AAP. “We hope this new guide will become a useful tool for anyone who has a transgender child in their life.”

Carl R. Backes, DO, FACOP, and ACOP President echoed her concerns. “The ACOP is excited to be a part of this guide providing pediatricians, other primary care physicians, allied health staffs, patients, families and caretakers with this vital information for transgender youth.  We suggest all efforts ensuring transgender young people be respected and valued,” he said.

The two medical groups represent over 65,000 medical professionals around the US and this guide is being seen as a great intro course for confused parents or others who are new to interacting with gender non-conforming youth.

Read the full guide here. 

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