Transgender Awareness Week
Each year, during the week of Nov. 13-19, organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face, including challenges navigating the healthcare system.
As an equity-focused public health organization, NICHQ remains dedicated to serving groups marginalized by systems. We have made an explicit commitment to racial equity and have been examining our internal and external work, structures, and language. While gender identity and expression is an expanding part of our equity journey, it is an important component to holding space for intersectional identities.
- Read more about the need for support and care for gender-diverse patients and their families in our recent Insight, Children and Their Families Have a Right to Gender-Affirming Healthcare.
- Learn more about our philosophy and approach to language in the field of maternal and child health, and read our recent Insight, Exploring a Nonbinary Approach to Health, written by Heidi Brooks, NICHQ's Chief Operating Officer.
Resources for Healthcare Professionals
Despite increasing public awareness and some legal protections, children who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, (or gender-diverse as a broader term) often lack adequate healthcare, including access to mental health resources.
To assist pediatricians and parents in providing care for LGBTQIA youth, The American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement entitled "Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents.
Resources for Families
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents make their home a place where their child feels safe and loved unconditionally for who they are. Below are helpful resources for parents and families of gender-diverse youth:
Mark Your Calendars
In addition to Transgender Awareness Week, during the month of November NICHQ is proud to recognize the following awareness days:
- Transgender Parent Day - November 5, 2023 (first Sunday in November)
- Transgender Day of Remembrance - November 20, 2023
