Highlights

• Overview of the mental health disparities faced by transgender and gender diverse youth
• Overview of what aspects of gender-affirming care may be considered at various stages of development
• The rationale and current evidence base for gender-affirming medical care for transgender and gender diverse adolescents

Resources

From Dr. Jack Turban:

• Summary of research regarding gender-affirming medical care for transgender and gender diverse youth (Psychology Today)
• Review article on the mental health of transgender and gender diverse youth

From Upswing Grantee Partners:

• LGBTQ Youth & Family Resources (Family Acceptance Project)
• Trans Resources (TransFamily Support Services)

Other Provider Resources

• Provider Resources (Trans Youth Equality Foundation)
• LGBTQ+ Health Care Laws and Policies Map (Movement Advancement Project)
• Trans in the South: A Directory of Trans-Affirming Health & Legal Service Providers (Campaign for Southern Equality)
• Back to [Redacted]: A Guide to Battling Book and School Censorship for Students, Parents, and School Staff (GLAAD)

About Our Advisors

Dr. Jack Turban, MD MHS (he/him/his), is a researcher, medical journalist, and assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at The University of California San Francisco. He is co-editor of the book Pediatric Gender Identity: Gender-affirming Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth.

His research focuses on the determinants of mental health among transgender and gender-diverse youth. His original research and opinion pieces about LGBTQ mental health have appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Psychiatry, The American Journal of Public Health, and The Journal of The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, among others. He has been consulted by major tech companies, the ACLU, the HRC, and the U.S. Department of Defense regarding policies to support LGBTQ mental health.

Dr. Turban graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude with a B.A. in neurobiology. He earned his MD and MHS degrees from Yale School of Medicine, where he was an HHMI medical research fellow and graduated with highest honors with an award-winning thesis entitled, “Evolving Treatment Paradigms for Transgender Youth.” He completed his adult psychiatry training at MGH/McLean (Harvard Medical School) and his child and adolescent psychiatry training at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Atlas Alvarez (they/he) is a 25-year-old non binary and transmasculine person. Atlas was born in El Centro, California and lived in their hometown, a border town known as Calexico, for 22 years until they moved away to North County San Diego to study Psychology as a transfer student. He lived, worked, and studied in North County San Diego for about a year and a half until the COVID-19 pandemic began to worsen and it became apparent that school would be online for some time.

Atlas moved back to their hometown in the summer of 2020, where he finished his last three semesters of school through Zoom. Atlas graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology in May 2021 and they are now looking forward to starting a two year MSW program in the upcoming fall at CSU Long Beach.

He currently works at TransFamily Support Services as their Bilingual Youth Programs Coordinator, where he serves as a support group facilitator for Middle school aged LGBTQ+ youth, oversees their gender affirming gear program, manages social media posts across platforms, and assists with the development of their Latinx program to provide services and support to Spanish speaking communities. After completing their Master’s and certifications, Atlas hopes to continue providing support to TGNC and LGBTQ+ communities through approaches focusing on mental health and well-being.