| In This Issue: - Community Corner
- Practical Tools
- Webinars/Virtual Events
- Articles/Research
- Policy News
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New HHS Report Offers Updated, Evidence-Based Roadmap for Supporting & Affirming LGBTQ+ Youth |
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A new report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific research and consensus that LGBTQ+ youth are resilient and can thrive when they are supported and affirmed, but that pervasive discrimination, rejection, and bullying has led to a nationwide mental health crisis among LGBTQ+ youth. The report finds that this crisis is most acute for transgender youth, whose mental health and wellbeing is put at risk by policies that seek to restrict their access to appropriate health care and inclusion at school. The report, Moving Beyond Change Efforts: Evidence and Action to Support and Affirm LGBTQI+ Youth, strengthens previous findings that it is normal and healthy for children to identify as LGBTQ+ and that all children should have their sexual orientation or gender identity affirmed and supported. The report also strengthens previous findings that sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) change efforts, commonly known as so-called “conversion therapy,” are never appropriate for youth, are ineffective, and can cause significant harm. Read more |
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Community Corner is a place where you can share news about the work you are doing with young people with diverse SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression). To submit information about your program to be highlighted in this newsletter, please email SOGIECenter@uconn.edu. heinstitute@ssw.umaryland.edu. |
Twin Cities QUEERSPACE Program Pairs LGBTQ+ Youth With Mentors |
When Eliza Gazett came out as transgender, she felt energized in a way she didn’t expect. “My initial plan was to question myself until I felt comfortable enough to be seen by the world,” she said. “But once I was fully out, I didn’t want to hide myself anymore.” She felt called to channel that energy into something positive, that would help other trans people, specifically trans kids. Her therapist told her about a local program called QUEERSPACE collective where she could be a mentor to a young LGBTQ+ person. The free program matches Twin Cities area LGBTQ+ youth with LGBTQ+ adults for connection and support through meetups two to three times per month. Many queer and trans kids have very few or no LGBTQ+ adults in their life, which can be isolating and discouraging, but QUEERSPACE seeks to fill that gap. To serve those waiting for a mentor of their own, QUEERSPACE is starting to offer group mentoring, beginning this spring. For six weeks, 12 mentees and three to four mentors will take part in group activities, discussions, art projects, and more. Learn more |
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Supporting Trans & Nonbinary Clients in Experiencing Gender Euphoria |
While gender dysphoria among transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people is a widely researched and documented experience, the same cannot be said for gender euphoria. This new tip sheet from Innovations Institute's Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity, based on a recent qualitative study, defines gender euphoria, provides real-life examples from participants, and outlines how behavioral health practitioners can help their TNB clients experience affirmation, confidence, and joy around their gender identity. Download now |
Using Trauma-Responsive, LGBTQ+ Affirming Care to Connect Young People to Sexual & Reproductive Health Services |
This resource is designed for youth-supporting professionals—especially case managers—who provide direct care services to young people who experience the child welfare or justice systems, homelessness, or disconnection from school and work. (Throughout this resource, we refer to this group of youth simply as “young people.”) Case managers are critical gatekeepers to information about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for these young people and are responsible for making referrals and helping them access SRH services and resources. In this resource, we define trauma-responsive and LGBTQ+ affirming care, outline principles for providing this type of care, and present scenarios for how youth-supporting professionals can incorporate this care into their practice. For foundational knowledge and key concepts on gender and sexual identity, review our guiding document titled “Key Concepts to Guide Professionals Working with LGBTQ+ Youth.” Download now |
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Dating Matters Toolkit: Guides to Healthy, Safe Relationships for LGBTQ+ Youth & Their Parents/Caregivers |
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Newly published Guides to Healthy, Safe Relationships for LGBTQ+ Youth and their Parents and Caregivers, created by VetoViolence, a project of the CDC, offer tips and resources to promote safe and healthy dating relationships for LGBTQ+ youth. Part of the organization's larger Dating Matters Toolkit, the materials take an inclusive approach to developing healthy and safe relationship dynamics for youth who identify as LGBTQ+ and include education, skills, and activities. Access the free PDF guide for youth here or the guide for parents and caregivers here. Download now |
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Understanding the Intersection of Autism & LGBTQ+ Identity Wednesday, April 26, 2:00pm - 3:30p.m. ET |
There is growing research highlighting the intersectional experience of LGBTQ+ identity and Neurodivergence. This webinar from Human Rights Campaign's All Children, All Families program will help participants understand affirming practices for supporting autistic LGBTQ+ individuals, including up to date and inclusive terminology, primary experiences/accounts of what it means to be autistic and LGBTQ+, as well as ways that your organization can be inclusive and accessible. Register now |
Intimate Partner Violence Among Sexual & Gender Minority Populations Tuesday, May 9, 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET |
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent in gender and sexual minority populations, including among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people. IPV is also associated with numerous mental and physical health problems in these populations. Despite this, few resources and treatments exist that are culturally appropriate for and specifically tailored to the needs of these groups. In this session, three expert panelists (Dr. Danielle Berke, Dr. Jillian Scheer, and Dr. Christopher Stults) will present on their respective programs of research related to IPV in LGBTQ+ populations, followed by a lively discussion and question/answer session with audience participants. This panel is hosted by the Innovations Institute's Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity. Register now |
LGBTQ+ Youth & the Child Welfare System Thursday, May 11, 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET |
This 90-minute webinar will map current research on the needs, issues, and structures facing LGBTQ+ youth in the child welfare system, as well as the possibilities and challenges for future research, improved care, and evidence-based advocacy to ensure LGBTQ+ youth have the material and emotional care to survive and thrive in natal or new family settings. This work necessarily engages anti-racist and intersectional perspectives, as well as historical contextualization, across race, gender, sexuality, and poverty in understanding the child welfare system, its role and functioning, and its impacts, including the historical and present undue surveillance, control, and separation of children and families – particularly Black families. Panelists will discuss inequities affecting LGBTQ+ youth within child welfare systems, key advocacy issues, barriers, and interventions for improving outcomes. This session is hosted by the Innovations Institute's Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity. Register now |
Safe & Effective LGBTQ+ Data Collection Learning Community: Safeguarding SOGI Data in Anti-LGBTQ+ Climates Wednesday, May 17, 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET |
This Learning Community from the National SOGIE Center provides learners the opportunity to hear from experts in the field on serving LGBTQ+ populations and on collecting sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in safe and effective ways. Join us for our next webinar, Safeguarding SOGI Data in Anti-LGBTQ+ Climates. There are many providers who are supporting LGBTQ+ clients in environments that are anti-LGBTQ+. This may be a home, a town, or even a state that does not have comprehensive protections for LGBTQ+ people. This session will cover how to balance asking about SOGI while maintaining the client’s privacy and safety. Check out our promotional clip to learn more, and you can register for the series here! |
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Announcing Pride Month Webinar Series: Walking with Tribal Youth on Their Sacred Journey |
In recognition of Pride Month, the Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity will be hosting a four-part webinar series on Supporting Native LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit youth! Join us every week in the month of June for the following sessions:
• Embarking on a Journey: Where Have We Been? • Understanding How to Support Tribal Youth • What Do We Need to Embark on This Journey? • Panel Focusing on Lived Experience
Each session will begin and end with a breathing exercise and acknowledgment of attendees tending to their own spirit. Attendees are encouraged to attend all four sessions to embark upon this journey of learning together. |
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Part 1: Embarking on a Journey: Where Have We Been? Monday, June 5, 1-3 p.m. ET
Part one in this tribal youth series will provide foundational knowledge that will prepare participants for their learning over the four weeks. Presenters will discuss historical context and the impacts of colonization. |
|  | Part 2: Understanding How to Support Tribal Youth Monday, June 12, 1-3 p.m. ET
Part two will focus on the needs and risk factors of Native LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit youth, including homelessness, violence against the community, and suicide. Best practices for supporting young people will be shared. |
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Part 3: What Do We Need to Embark on This Journey? Tuesday, June 20, 1-3 p.m. ET
Part three will focus on respecting the journey for Native LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit youth and also for their families. Tools for supporting both youth and their families will be shared. |
| | Part 4: Panel Focusing on Lived Experience Monday, June 26, 1-3 p.m. ET
Panelists will share lessons from various perspectives of lived experience; what has helped, what harmed, what providers need to know. The panel will also include a talking circle and Q&A session. |
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Sexual & Gender Diversity Learning Community Certificate Program |
The Sexual and Gender Diversity Learning Community (SGDLC) is an LGBTQ+ cultural competence training program for behavioral health organizations that employ mental healthcare providers soon to be widely offered to behavioral healthcare providers. The University of Maryland Prevention Research Center is committed to addressing gaps in understanding LGBTQ+ mental health care and improving outcomes for LGBTQ+ persons. Choosing the SGDLC Certificate program means choosing a learning experience that is both research and practice based, enhancing one's knowledge and skills around mental health practice and LGBTQ+ competency with current evidence-based information! The SGDLC was developed to introduce healthcare providers to basic concepts related to LGBTQ+ mental health and wellness, preparing them to serve LGBTQ+ clients competently. The SGDLC is intended to be delivered to behavioral healthcare providers including (but not limited to) mental health professionals and drug and alcohol counselors and medical professionals such as physicians, medical assistants, and nurses. Learn more and apply |
2023 KU LGBTQ+ Research Symposium: Queering Community & Kinship Virtual | June 1-2, 2023 |
This year’s program builds on the important traditions established over the past ten years, providing researchers and advocates opportunities to present their work, discuss challenges and opportunities, and network with others conducting LGBTQ+ research across disciplines. The theme, “Queering Community & Kinship,” emphasizes constructing and maintaining queer connections through the continuation of LGBTQ+ narratives and research. The Center for LGBTQ+ Research & Advocacy at the University of Kansas acknowledges the importance of building queer connections by advancing LGBTQ+ research. The fully online, digital format of the 2023 symposium presents unique and creative opportunities to enhance accessibility of the symposium and integrate digital humanities ideas and concepts. The symposium will include live presentations, panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, and creative, innovative, and technological presentations. Pre-recorded presentations, posters, and creative submissions will also be included. Register now |
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Paid Virtual Interview Opportunity for Parents of LGBTQ+ Youth |
Are you a parent or guardian of LGBTQ+ youth who has lived experiences with human service programs? Mathematica, in partnership with the Center for the Study of Social Policy, is conducting a study to identify promising and emerging practices that serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other non-heterosexual orientations and non-cisgender identities (LGBTQ+) young people ages 10 - 24 who may be involved with a human service program like child welfare, juvenile justice, housing and homeless, and sexual and reproductive health services. They are hoping to understand services and programs that support healthy youth development, and support youth in their communities. They are conducting 60 minute individual virtual interviews with parents of young people with lived experiences. You will receive a $50 e-gift card for your time. Email jspielfogel@mathematica-mpr.com for more information. |
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National Tele-Education Program Expands Access To Transgender & Gender Diverse Health Care |
A paper published in LGBT Health reports on the outcomes of TransECHO, a professional development and training program for primary care teams on the provision of gender-affirming integrated medical and behavioral health for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients. The paper suggests that TransECHO has helped fill gaps in training on TGD primary medical and behavioral health care. TransECHO is based on Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a tele-education program for health care providers designed to reduce health disparities and increase access to specialty care in underserved areas. “Overall, participants in TransECHO reported that they had increased their knowledge about how to provide gender-affirming health care and that they felt more confident in doing so,” said lead study author Jack Bruno, TransECHO Program Lead. “The success of this program in federally qualified health centers suggests that TransECHO could be adapted for other primary care practices across the United States, which would improve the primary health care experiences of many more transgender and gender diverse people.” Read more |
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Support Saves Lives: Family Support & K-12 Transgender Suicidality |
The purpose of this study was to test the association between protective and risk factors, including age of transition, K-12 experiences, and family support, on suicidality among transgender and gender nonbinary/gender queer (TNB) adults. Negative K-12 experiences significantly predicted higher likelihood of both suicidal ideation and suicide attempt for transgender people, regardless of age of transition, and after controlling for a host of covariates. Supportive families act as a buffer against suicidal ideation, and unsupportive families significantly predict higher likelihood of suicide attempt for transgender people. These findings underscore the importance of supportive environments for TNB adolescents. Interventions that strengthen interpersonal relationships and local environments will reduce suicidality among TNB youth. Importantly, recent anti-trans legislation may interfere with the ability of teachers and families to provide needed supports and will likely have deleterious effects on the mental health of TNB individuals. Learn more |
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GSA Advisors' Self-Efficacy to Address Transgender Issues: An Interpersonal Protective Factor for Transgender Student Depression |
The purpose of this study was to assess the association between Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) advisors' self-efficacy to address transgender issues and their students' depressive symptoms, by students' gender identity (i.e., transgender vs. cisgender). We predict that higher advisor self-efficacy will be associated with decreases in student depressive symptoms for transgender students, though not necessarily for cisgender students. Results found that greater advisor self-efficacy to address transgender issues was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms for transgender students, demonstrating that GSA advisor self-efficacy to address transgender issues could be protective for transgender student depressive symptoms. Thus, increasing advisor self-efficacy to address transgender issues may help decrease depressive symptomatology for transgender youth, and intervention work in this area is needed to bolster this claim. Learn more |
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Providing Essential Gender-Affirming Telehealth Services to Transgender Youth During COVID-19: A Service Review |
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on service delivery for transgender and gender diverse youth. Many in-person services were suspended in response to the need to follow quarantine and social-distancing guidelines, at both the state and national levels. In response, this pediatric gender clinic adopted a rapid implementation of telehealth services to provide access to gender affirming care. However, there exists little guidance on how to provide gender-affirming care via these platforms. In this article, researchers provide a narrative review of the development of a full-scale model for delivering telehealth services to transgender and gender diverse youth and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of telehealth services for transgender and gender-diverse youth, and focus on the continued need for advocacy around systemic barriers to care. Learn more |
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Guide to Testifying Against Harmful Bills for Parents & Supportive Adults |
In 2022, 220 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were considered in a majority of states across the country — a record number. This trend is set to continue, as state houses around America are continuing to consider legislation that targets LGBTQ+ young people, ranging from censoring certain curricula and books, banning transgender student-athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identity, to criminalizing doctors and families who support young people with gender-affirming medical care. This has a huge impact: 71% of LGBTQ+ youth — including 86% of trans and nonbinary youth — say state laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ young people have negatively impacted their mental health. However, nearly 90% of harmful bills considered in 2022 were defeated by LGBTQ+ advocates and allies. These wins don’t just happen organically. They’re a result of targeted grassroots efforts of educating legislators about the real impacts and harm these policies cause. We know that for many families, the prospect of another tough year is daunting. This guide is built to help parents and allied adults stand up for LGBTQ+ young people by testifying in hearings about the damage that harmful bills cause. Read here |
Addressing Disproportionality, Disparity & Equity in Child Welfare |
LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in foster care; studies have found that about 30% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+, compared with 11% of youth not in foster care. It is important for agencies to provide programs and practices designed to improve outcomes for LGBTQ+ children and youth. The Children's Bureau is committed to addressing disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. This new Equity Page shares a wealth of resources such as public statements and Information Memorandums that provide agencies with guidance on how to leverage federal funding, including grants that help implement and evaluate programs and interventions for LGBTQ+ children and youth in foster care. Learn more |
This month, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued an Emergency Rule regarding the medical treatment of transgender people. Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), and Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued the following statement: As national legal groups who represent LGBTQ+ people and their families in every state across this country, we condemn the lawless action of Missouri’s Attorney General in purporting to bar essential medical care for both transgender adolescents and adults.This action by Missouri’s Attorney General crosses a red line that should strike fear in the heart of every person who values individual liberty and believes that individuals, not government officials, should make health care decisions for their children and themselves. This is a dangerous and unprecedented escalation in the assault on evidence-based health care for transgender people. Cutting off treatment for those who need it will create predictable, unnecessary, and serious harm. It is also a blatant attempt to strip transgender people of equal protection under the law and to subject them to intrusive government surveillance and control. We wish to make unequivocally clear that we will challenge this and any similar attempt to interfere with the fundamental freedom of transgender people to obtain medically necessary care and to be treated as equal, respected, and participating members of our democracy. Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri are prepared to fight back in court and have announced their intention to take legal action against this order." Read more |
For more information on gender-affirming care, best practices, and federal guidance, please visit the Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity's Resource Page on Supporting Trans Youth. |
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