TRANSITIONS: Path to better understanding

Regarding the recent letter asking questions about “kid transitions,” I hear you. I appreciate your passion for the well-being of children and the sustainability of human civilization. I would love to have a discussion with you about this.

National organizations such as The Trevor Project and PFLAG have been working for decades to understand and answer some of the very same questions you are asking. These organizations have discovered the profound and life-changing benefits of gender-affirming care and treatment in their work. 

We have learned that LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020). We have also learned that gender-affirming medical care, such as hormone therapy, is associated with positive mental health outcomes, including showing promise for reducing suicide risk. 

A 2021 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that gender-affirming hormone therapy is significantly related to lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary young people. 

Your questions and concerns are reasonable and understandable. Please reach out! Let me buy you coffee, and let’s start a conversation around this critical topic impacting the health and safety of Idaho’s youth. You can reach me at pflagcdakootenai@gmail.com.

JEFF WICKHAM, president

PFLAG Coeur d’Alene/Kootenai County

Coeur d’Alene