Our purpose
Our intent in writing this book is to help others who are on a similar journey with a child, friend, or loved one. In doing more research on the transgender journey, we were deeply moved by the statistics of suicide and homelessness associated with them. As a way to help other families and individuals understand and embrace people who are transgender, we want to share our insights and learnings and add them to the ever-increasing literature that is creating awareness about transgender issues and acceptance. Most of all, we want to let the family members and friends of people who are transgender know that it is okay! It is okay to feel unsure, overwhelmed, and amazed.
As a family, we struggled to know where to go for help, so our book and this website include organizations, counselors, books, and other ways to help individuals and families. We’ll add to the list as we learn more, so keep coming back and share these resources with others who are seeking help and direction.
In searching out help, we came to realize that society has created an unfortunate perception on being transgender, which has devastated many families. Here are some general statistics to put what we found in perspective:
- According to an estimate by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law in 2015, one in every 137 American teenagers under the age of 18 identifies as transgender.
- 40% of individuals who are transgender commit suicide.
- 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender)
