Gender-affirming policies support transgender and gender diverse youth’s health

Transgender and gender diverse youth (TGD) (i.e., children and adolescents whose gender identity and/or expression differs from their sex assigned at birth) are more likely to experience poor health than their peers whose gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth (i.e., cisgender youth) due to stigma and marginalization. Fortunately, school policies that protect, include, and affirm TGD youth’s gender identity are associated with positive mental health and academic outcomes. TGD youth who have access to gender-affirming medical care experience improvements in mental health and often show mental health comparable to their cisgender peers. Some legislative efforts have attempted to block transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming medical care (e.g., puberty blockers) and school resources (e.g., sports teams that align with their gender identity). Policymakers, along with school personnel, must enact non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies that allow TGD youth equal access to school facilities and resources, and protect youth on the basis of their gender identity and expression. In this brief, we term policies and practices that recognize and support TGD youth’s identities and expression “gender-affirming care” and highlight opportunities to ensure the healthy development of all TGD youth. We highlight how medical and school contexts are critical for TGD youth’s development and health and offer evidence-informed policy and practice recommendations to guide efforts that support youth.