Gender Diversity Expert, Parent Whisperer & Speaker
Resources
Iowa: Capital City Pride of Des Moines' mission rests on 5 pillars: education, family, health/wellness, community, and celebration. Des Moines Pride Center states its mission as offering "a community organization where gender, sexual minorities, allies, and their families are supported, celebrated, and served through providing access to Queer literature, historical archives, and a safe environment where people can thrive as healthy equal, and complete members of the community. One Iowa defines itself as "a catalyst for improving the lives of LGBTQ Iowans."
Missouri: Transparent USA chapters in St. Louis and St. Charles. Greater St. Louis PFLAG is a 100% volunteer-led organization whose mission is "to create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. Through our core values of meeting people where they are and collaborating with others, PFLAG seeks to realize our vision through support, education, and advocacy."
Nebraska: Omaha for Us "is a community center that builds intentional community and creates equitable space for LGBTQ+ individuals in Nebraska." PFLAG Omaha, and State Senator Megan Hunt who is NE’s first out bisexual state representative, first woman elected to the 8th district, and mom of a transgender child.
Trans Teen and Family Narratives (TTFN) Project is a toolkit for family members or mental health providers to use with trans youth. It contains videos of trans youth, discussion guides and resources to support a young person’s gender journey. The development of TTFN was led by Dr. Sabra L. Katz-Wise (she/her), an Associate Professor in Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Katz-Wise also co-directs the Harvard SOGIE Health Equity Research Collaborative. Dr. Katz-Wise and her team are based at Boston Children’s Hospital.
GLAAD’s Here We Are Now campaign, launched during PRIDE 2024, aims to increase trans visibility and address the 70% of Americans who say they don’t know anyone who is trans through video stories of a handful of trans individuals.
Erin Reed is a trans woman, public speaker, activist and journalist who provides regular updates about legislative and public events impacting the trans community. She maintains tabs on legislative acts throughout the US, as well as worldwide. Her social handle is @erininthemorn.
A few podcasts I think are great: Queer Family Podcast, created and hosted by actress and lesbian mom, Jaimie Kelton. The Parent Advocate, hosted by parents, Lizzette Trujillo & Stephen Chukumba (who also stars in the Netflix documentary, The Dads). Camp Wild Heart, created by therapist and advocate, Mackenzie Dunham.