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Financing Insurance Workplace Legal issues Name choice Name change Driver’s license Birth certificate Passport Marriage Will Other documents
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Selected resources for young womenThis list is extremely selective. I don't list any of the personal sites of young women unless I have verified their identity. I don't have time to sort out which ones are the fakes (and there are a lot of fake ones out there!). In addition, many well-meaning young women have misinformation about transition on their sites, so I generally recommend taking advice from the established sites listed on my main links page. Good books You probably already know about "Mom, I Need to Be a Girl," but you should also check out From Within by Vicky and "Hidden in Plain Sight" by Leslie Townsend. She began transition in her teens and lived stealth for 18 years before writing her book. The Transgender Child: This comprehensive first-of-its-kind guidebook explores the unique challenges faced by families raising gender variant and transgender children. Our Trans Children (PDF: requires reader) is a nice booklet by PFLAG, which can be very helpful to show your family. Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers is a book by Cris Beam about her work with low-income teen transitioners in the Los Angeles area. Good articles Excellent information compiled by Lynn Conway on transitioning early in life. Trans Mission: about kids who are transitioning before adolescence. Articles on young TSs from the AntiJen site. Good sites Advertisement
PFLAG Transgender Network (TNET) has many great resources for you and your parents. Mary Boenke has a FTM son and founded TNET in 1995. She is also a co-author, with Jessica Xavier and Nancy Sharp, of the popular 16 page introductory booklet, Our Trans Children (en espanol Nuestros/as Hijos/as Trans), which has sold over 13,000 copies. She has just edited a book called Trans Forming Families, which contains 31 essays from family members whose lives were touched by a trans loved one. If you want to see an example of one of the best moms ever, check out Just Evelyn's site. She helped her daughter begin transitioning at 15. Her book, "Mom, I need to be a girl," and accompanying website have helped many parents understand what you're going through. Check it out! TransYouth Family Advocates: a great new resource for gender-variant children. Recommended by Just Evelyn herself! TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation: new advocacy group by parents of transgender children. Gender Odyssey Family advocacy group by parents of transgender children.
Of all the people who strive to help young transitioners, I doubt many do more than Aunt Jenny. Her Antijen pages are a haven for young TSs to share experiences. From Within is a great memoir written by Vicky when she was 19, about growing up with gender issues and how she got through it all. Very inspirational! The Youth Resource site has a good article by Richard Haynes on medical issues for young transitioners. In 2007, German Magazine Spiegel had a profile of a 14-year-old named Kim who was Germany's youngest recorded transitioner. The case led to discussion in many countries about early transition. TransProud is a newer site that looks like it has potential. The New York Times had a very uplifting piece in May 2002 about a 13-year-old FTM whose parents and teachers helped him go to school as a boy without the other kids knowing. (You may need to register to view the article. If it's no longer available, contact me and I can send you a copy.) Letting children express their chosen gender gains further acceptance: another great New York Times piece from 2006. Jennifer Reitz
transitioned in her early twenties back before you were probably even born.
She has some great advice on transitioning at her fun and informative site. http://transsexual.org/index.html Woman's Own Magazine had a feature in June 2004 about Johanna, the youngest German transsexual woman to get state-funded services. A great story to show to your parents. Via Lynn Conway. Mermaids is a good British site focusing on the needs of young transitioners. Be sure to check out the media page. Jayne is one of many young women in their early 20's with cool stuff going on. Be sure to read her article on doubts and watch for her in Transgeneration. Nika is a cool chick with a nice bulletin board. LINK: Action Kit for Transgender Youth from Lambda Legal Several activist groups are working together to address trans health needs from a client perspective. One of the most forward-thinking summaries is US Trans Health Priorities: Eliminating Disparities (PDF: requires reader). In addition, UK-based GIRES has been doing excellent work in summarizing current research on medical aspects of transsexualism, and addressing the needs of young trans clients. LINK: A guide by and for young trans people in the UK from the Department of Health LYRIC has a great list of queer youth organizations around the nation. Vancouver
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This emerging trend holds great promise for a new are of self-determination regarding our unique health needs. Bad sites Be very careful when corresponding with supposed young trans and gender-variant people online. There are very few real ones out there! As an example of why young readers need to be extremely careful, there are fake sites that even I fell for, like the now removed Changez Le Monde site. Check out my pages on fakes, wannabes and internet safety for young people. Send me your thoughts, links, and advice! If you transitioned in your teens or twenties and have any advice you'd like to share, please contact me , and I'll give it a permanent (and anonymous) home. |
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