“When mental health concerns arise, it often isn’t that there’s anything wrong with these young people, it’s that they are at greater risk of being stigmatized and not supported while questioning their identity,” said Dr. Cesalie Stepney, a clinical psychologist at Seattle Children’s. “Parents who affirm a child’s identity by using the right name and pronoun, or letting their child dress and style their hair the way they want to, can help reduce their child’s mental health risk.”
“A 2019 report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found a connection between experiences of discrimination, including in medical care, and suicidality for transgender adults, with participants who had experienced discrimination being twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to those who had not experienced discrimination.”
“A 2015 study from the National Center for Transgender Equality opened many people’s eyes to the devastating effects of widespread stigma and discrimination on physical and mental health in the transgender community. Among the more shocking and dismaying statistics was that 40 percent of respondents had attempted suicide in their lifetimes, nearly 10 times the national average.”
“As the AMA’s brief stated, barring transgender females from participating in school-sponsored organized sports consistent with their gender identity frustrates the treatment of gender dysphoria by preventing them from living openly in accordance with their true gender. The AMA continues to work with state medical associations to oppose legislation that would compound the stigma and discrimination that transgender people face.”
