Resources for Parents
I’ve gotten a number of questions from parents of trans-youth asking for advice or links to resource. This is a bit out of my domain, as I didn’t transition young (obviously 
), and trans-youth issues can be quite a bit different than those that older trans-folk deal with.
So, I’ve tried to collect the good information that I’ve gotten from others (thanks Jana – www.transformationalunfolding.com ) in a place thats easy to find.
Upcoming Events – Seattle Area
There will be a Family Conference over Labor Day weekend as part of Gender Odyssey, which will be held at the Convention Center in Seattle. Gender Spectrum started the Family Conference and continue to offer great programming there.
Books
Stephanie Brill from Gender Spectrum co-wrote The Transgender Child with Rachel Pepper from Yale University. According to Jana (who would know!), it’s essentially the only book written for parents of gender variant children.
Seattle Support Group Info
From Gender Spectrum:
Starting Sunday, April 20th, Gender Spectrum’s monthly Seattle support group for families with gender variant children will be held at Children’s Hospital. The group meets from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on the third Sunday of every month.
Parent Support Group
Children’s Hospital Seattle
4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Room W-3700
For specific directions, please call Aidan at 1-877-809-4159 (toll free)
The Gender Spectrum group at Children’s Hospital is free of charge and provides parents and other family members an opportunity to find information, gain an understanding of the natural and unique gender expression of their children, and learn from each other the ways in which they can support their child at home, in school, and in their neighborhood. Parents also share their family’s experiences with doctors, therapists, school administrators and teachers.
This Seattle family support group began in January 2008, and is modeled after Gender Spectrum’s long-running family support group held at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, California. The first of its kind in the U.S., and one of only two support groups in the entire country, Gender Spectrum’s Oakland group was started by Stephanie Brill, national gender expert and co-author of The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Professionals and Families.
In addition to the family support groups at Children’s Hospital Oakland and Seattle, Gender Spectrum provides education and training to schools, organizations, health care professionals, and others. They also produce Gender Spectrum Family, the first family-focused national conference for gender variant children and their families.
For more information on Gender Spectrum and their national conference, support groups, professional trainings, and programs, you can visit www.genderspectrum.org or write to info@genderspectrum.org.
TransYouth Family Allies (TYFA) is another organization supporting children and families. They will also be at the Family Conference. Their website is http://imatyfa.org/.
