TransFamilies Support Group of Santa Cruz County – This group is made up of a community of parents and families in support of their transgender children. During monthly group sessions, members share their experiences and go through the process of understanding transgender issues. Meeting information here: transfamiliesca.org
Basic Information
- Understanding Gender (from Gender Spectrum) — What Is Gender; The Gender Spectrum; Falling Into Line; About Gender Diversity; Gender Terminology, Discussing Gender (from Gender Spectrum) — Ways for parents to address issues of gender in everyday life
- The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals
- Early Childhood Development — Your Options — How Do I Know If My Child Is Transgender? (from the National Association of Social Workers)
- Transsexual People and Family Issues (from Trans Road Map)
Family Support
- 10 Things We Can Do to support our children who are questioning their gender
- Support for Transgender People and Their Families (from PFLAG)
- Support for families and educators (from Trans Youth Family Allies)
- How to Support Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Youth (from Lambda Legal)
- Helping Families Support Their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Children (from San Francisco State University)
- Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Latter-day Saint Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Children (from San Francisco State University)
- Parent and Family Resources (Gender Spectrum)
- Resources for Supporting Your Gender Expansive Child (Gender Spectrum)
- Online Programs for Parents and Families (Gender Spectrum)
- Parent and Family Groups (Gender Spectrum)
- Groups Directory (Gender Spectrum)
- Gender Spectrum Conference (Gender Spectrum)
- Mermaids
Schools
- Out, Safe & Respected for Educators and Parents — A Guide to LGBTQ Youth in Schools for Educators and Parents (from Lambda Legal)
- How Schools Can Support Transgender Students (from Lambda Legal)
- Gender Nonconformity and School Safety: Documenting the Problem and Steps Schools Can Take (from the California Safe Schools Coalition)
- Professional Development Webinar Series: Supporting Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students (from GLSEN)
- Recommendations for Schools and School Districts Regarding How to Implement the Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act (AB 537) (from the California Department of Education via the California Safe Schools Coalition)
- California Safe Schools Coalition Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students (from CA SafeSchools)
- Model School District Policy Regarding Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students (from GLSEN and the National Center for Transgender Equality)
- School Safety and Violence Prevention for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Students: A Question & Answer Guide for California School Officials and Administrators (from the California Safe Schools Coalition)
- F.A.Q. on Safe School Policies (by NCLR and GLSEN)
- Fifteen Expensive Reasons Why Safe Schools Legislation is in Your State’s Best Interest (by the NCLR and the GLSEN)
- Question & Answer Guide on California’s Parental Opt-Out Statutes: Parents’ and Schools’ Legal Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Public School Curricula (from the California Safe Schools Coalition)
- Unheard Voices: Stories and Lessons for Grades 6-12 (curriculum created via the collaboration of GLSEN, the Anti-Defamation League, and Story Corps)
- Benefits of School Resources for Transgender Youth (from the Journal of LGBT Youth)
- Ready, Set, Respect! GLSEN’s Elementary School Toolkit
- Learn and Connect: Educators and Education Professionals (from Gender Spectrum)
- Professional Development and Training Programs (provided by Gender Spectrum)
- Online Programs for Educators and Educational Professionals (from Gender Spectrum)
- Educator Resources (from Gender Spectrum)
- Framework for Gender Inclusive Schools (from Gender Spectrum)
- The Gender Spectrum Inclusive Schools Network (from Gender Spectrum)
- Professional Development and Training FAQs (from Gender Spectrum)
- National Association of Independent Schools and Gender Spectrum: Gender Inclusive Schools FAQs
- GLSEN (GLSEN)
Social Services
- Mental Health (from Gender Spectrum)
- Beyond Home and School (from Lambda Legal) — “This section is dedicated to empowering you as well as to educating the adults in your life, such as foster parents, child welfare professionals and juvenile justice professionals.”
- Working with Transgender Youth: Getting Down to Basics — Tools to Support LGBTQ Youth in Care (from CWLA and Lambda Legal)
- Supporting Gender-Independent Children and Their Families (from Rainbow Health Ontario)
- Best Practice Guidelines for Serving LGBT Youth in Out-of-Home Care — “First guidelines for policy and practice for serving LGBT youth in child welfare and juvenile justice settings. Written by experts in the field and published by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) as part of their Best Practices series, this book is based on the work of the Model Standards Project and research from the Family Acceptance Project informed and framed the guidelines.” (Family Acceptance Project)
- Recommended Practices to Promote the Safety and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth and Youth at Risk of Living with HIV in Child-Welfare Settings (from Lambda Legal)
- Transgender Youth and Life-Threatening Behaviors (from the American Association of Suicidology)
- Youth in the Margins: A Report on the Unmet Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adolescents in Foster Care (from Lambda Legal)
- Hidden Injustice: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in Juvenile Courts (from Gender Spectrum)
- Social Service Resources (from Gender Spectrum)
- Invisible People
- LGBTQ Youth Experiencing Homelessness (National Center for Homeless Education)
Caring Adult Reading List
- The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals by Stephanie A. Brill
- Soldier Girls and Dancing Boys: Gender Exploration in Resources for Children, Teens, and Caring Adults by Nancy Silverrod
- Books (from Transsexual Road Map)
- Films (from Transsexual Road Map)
- Recommended Media (from the Cantú Queer Center of the University of California at Santa Cruz)
- Early Childhood Development — Your Options — How Do I Know If My Child Is Transgender? (from the National Association of Social Workers)
- Tips for Allies of Transgender People
- Supportive Parenting (from Gender Spectrum)
- Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Children (from San Francisco State University)
- Gender Born, Gender Made: Raising Health Gender-Nonconforming Children (by Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D.)
- Helping Families Support Their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Children (from San Francisco State University)
- Supportive Families, Healthy Children (from San Francisco State University)
- Be an Ally to Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Students (from GLSEN)
- The State of Transgender California (from the Transgender Law Center)
- Raising a Boy in Pink: A Mom Talks about Raising a Gender-Nonconforming Child
- Nail-Polish Boys and Trucker Girls: Gender Exploration in Children
- Gender Diversity and Kids: Happiness Matters, Not Nail Polish (by Stephanie Brill, Executive Director of Gender Spectrum)
- Raising Girlboys: A Parent’s Perspective (by Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D.)
Studies/Reports
- Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults (Ryan et al., retrieved from the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults — Family Acceptance of LGBT Youth Protects Against Suicide, Depression & Substance Abuse and Predicts Better Health & Self-Esteem (Ryan et al., published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing)
- Gender-Nonconforming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: School Victimization and Young Adult Psychosocial Adjustment — School Victimization of Gender-Nonconforming LGBT Youth Linked with Depression and Quality of Life in Adulthood (Toomey et al., published in the Journal of Developmental Psychology)
- High School Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and Young Adult Well-Being: An Examination of GSA Presence, Participation, and Perceived Effectiveness — Gay-Straight Alliances in School Benefit Health and Education of LGBT Young Adults (Toomey et al., published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Science)
- Transgender Youth and Life-Threatening Behaviors (from the American Association of Suicidology)
- Youth Report (HRC)