Monterey County Rainbow Connections Gender Diversity Provider Training

Debunking Myths About Transgender, Nonbinary, & Gender Expansive Children

February 12, 2025

CE’s Available
The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Debunking Myths About Transgender, Nonbinary, & Gender Expansive Children

More than 500 laws targeting gender diverse youth, their parents, & providers have been proposed since 2021. Many of these policies are based on damaging misinformation about who trans & gender expansive youth are. This training will educate providers about common myths that often cause parents to deny children’s authentic gender identities and limit their access to gender-affirming care. Research is clear on the validity of trans children’s gender identities, and the negative long-term impact of preventing them from living as their true selves. This training is designed to help provide resources to providers and caregivers that clarify five myths surrounding trans youth, their legal rights, and best practices to support overall health and well-being. Providers will learn a multi-step process for psychoeducating parents and other providers about these five myths, as well as familiarize themselves with six community resources for caregivers/families of trans or gender questioning youth.

What we will cover?

How can participants utilize their new skills and knowledge after the training to reinforce their learning?

  1. Use the multi-step process for psychoeducating parents and other providers about these ten myths.
  2. Refer parents/caregivers to one of six community resources for caregivers/families of trans or gender questioning youth.

Learning objectives:

  • Identify and critically engage five common myths about transgender, nonbinary, & gender expansive youth.
  • Review six premises of gender-affirming care.
  • Review fifteen peer-reviewed research studies on the impact of limiting access to gender-affirming care, average age of first awareness of gender identity, and long-term health outcomes related to supporting a young person’s gender identity.

Presenter

Luke Pacha is the owner of Infinite Diversity LLC. He holds a Master of Religion and Psychology, Master of Divinity, and Certificate of Sexuality and Religion from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Luke straddles the worlds of academia/theory and practice, serving as the Board President of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, a national non-profit organization that publishes a 705-page resource guide of the same name, by and for the trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary communities. Through this work, he connects with leading transgender and gender expansive scholars in medicine, law, mental health, social sciences, politics, and culture to collaborate on editions of Trans Bodies. He recently authored the Religion and Spirituality chapter of the second edition of the book, released April 15, 2022, and served as Survey Editor, managing a nationwide qualitative survey of over 2,000 respondents quoted in the book, and editing several chapters. Luke co-authored an academic review of methodologies used to survey transgender & nonbinary people based on the Trans Bodies Second Edition Survey, “Surveying trans and nonbinary communities: Research methodologies, accountability, and ethics with the Trans Bodies, Trans Selves Survey (2nd edition),” published in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in 2022.

Luke also co-authored the Religion and Spirituality chapter in the surgical textbook Gender Confirmation Surgery: Principles and Techniques for an Emerging Fieldedited by Loren Schecter, released 2020. He has been featured as a subject matter expert on gender pronouns in Rolling Stone, Grammarly’s Guide to Personal Pronouns,  and NPR Cap Radio about best pronoun practices in the workplace. He has also been interviewed on NPR’s The Takeaway and been published in LGBTQ Nation. More information can be found about Luke at infinitediversityllc.com.

Debunking Myths About Transgender, Nonbinary, & Gender Expansive Children

February 12, 2025
1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

This training will educate providers about common myths that often cause parents to deny children’s authentic gender identities and limit their access to gender-affirming care.

Upcoming Events

JANUARY

Supporting Gender Transition for Youth

January 23, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

FEBRUARY

Debunking Myths About Trans Youth

February 12, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Fertility and Reproductive Health

February 20, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Developing a Gender Support Plan

February 26, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

MARCH

What’s Your Pronoun?

March 5, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Using Non-Violent Communication to Support Family Acceptance of LGBTQ+ Youth

March 12, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Supporting Families through the Gender Journey

March 19, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

APRIL

Religious & Spiritual LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

April 2, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Gender Affirming Surgeries

April 17, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Understanding the SAFETY Act: Protecting LGBTQ+ Student Privacy

April 30, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

MAY

WPATH Standards of Care: Part 1

May 1, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Supporting Neurodivergent LGBTQ+ Youth

May 7, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Beyond He and She

May 20, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

WPATH Standards of Care: Part 2

May 28, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

JUNE

Coming out

June 4, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Supporting Gender Euphoria

June 12, 2025 / 1:30 – 4:30 pm PT

Session is 180 min including time for Q&A.

3 CE Credits Available

The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

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