Useful Links

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Help is Available:

On June 18, 2025, the Trump Administration ordered the shut-down of the national "988" LGBTQ suicide and mental health crisis hotline. Once again, they make it plain that they would rather see us DIE than to lift a finger to care for us.
Fortunately, and heroically, our Canadian friends immediately stepped up and added a US toll-free number their crisis line.

That number is: 877-330-6366.

PFLAG:

The nation's largest organization working behalf of all LGBTQ+ people and their friends and loved ones, is PFLAG. PFLAG originally stood for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Later it became Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. And now PFLAG is just... PFLAG. Those "friends and loved ones"... our allies, are and important part of PFLAG's mission. In pursuite of that, PFLAG recently published their "Guide to Being an Ally to LGBTQ+ People".

Give:

Right up front, let us make a pitch for the allies that are helping us in the fight against hatred, ignorance and discrimination. Please, give generously to one or more of the follwing organizations.

https://equalitytexas.org/give/501c3/

https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/transgender-rights

https://support.lambdalegal.org/site/Donation2

https://donate.ncteactionfund.org/a/a4te

And especially - https://transequality.org/ That organization is doing incredible work, in our Nation's capitol and around the counry. If you are looking for resources, be they legal, educational, whatever, you will find that website to have a wealth of useful information.

Gender 101:

Gender identity is, for many, a rather new concept. The more it is studied, the more often what seemed like "simple common sense" is simply inaccurate, rude, or even hurtful. Here are a few links to what one might call "primers" for those seeking to get up to speed.

The Gender Book - "The GENDER books is a fun, colorful, community-based resource, which illustrates the beautiful diversity of gender - a gender 101 for anyone and everyone."

Gender Identity - The REAL Sex Talk This is an extremely well-produced and easy to consume vido primer on gender identity, terminology, etiquette, etc.

Expert Sources:

We often hear that "It's just common sense", that if you were born with a penis, you are a man, and if you were born with a vagina, you are a woman," and that "It's a sign of mental illness to believe you are something you are not." To be fair, that thinking is very common, but not that long ago, it was also "common sense" that being left-handed was a "mental defect", and that African Americans were intellectually inferior, Jews were hereditary cheats and liars, etc.
Fortunately, the experts, i.e. those who have made it their business to study such things, have disproven most of those "common sense" myths. No longer are school children beater for writing with their left hand, but when it comes to gender identity, the notion that non-conformit is something to be cured, or prevented altogether, is to say the least, prevalent in our society. So let's start with some words from those experts... you know, the smart people.

https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-patients - A primer for healthcare professionals from the American Psychiatric Association.

https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/transgender-people-gender-identity-gender-expression - A similar guide from the American Psychological Association

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for - The American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on "Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents"

The American Medical Association has published a number of policy statements that are intended to guide healthcare providers and insurers:

Clarification of Evidence-Based Gender Affirming Care

AMA Opposes Efforts to Allow Discrimination Against Patients

AMA statement on U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Title VII cases

Health Insurance Coverage for Gender-Affirming Care of Transgender Patients

Despite the rampant anti-intellectualism that is so in vogue in politics and right-wing media of late, these four bodies are the recognized authorities in their respective fields. They ARE the truth.