Gender-affirming care isn't just about medical stuff. It's about creating spaces where kids feel safe being themselves.”

I was a teacher for over 30 years and I advised our school’s Gay Straight Alliance for 20 of them. I taught trans kids and I watched how even the smallest affirming actions could make a huge difference. And here’s what a lot of people get wrong. Gender-affirming care isn’t just about medical stuff. It’s about creating spaces where kids feel safe being themselves. Something as simple as using the name and pronoun a student asks for is gender-affirming care. It builds trust. It protects mental health. It literally saves lives.

When trans youth are affirmed socially, emotionally, or mentally, their mental health outcomes are dramatically better. That’s not politics, that’s research. The 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ youth mental health found that trans and non-binary youth who receive gender-affirming care, including support for their pronouns, names, and identities, are 60% less likely to experience depression and 73% less likely to experience suicidal thoughts. That’s a huge difference in mental health just from being affirmed. If you’re a teacher, a parent, or really any trusted adult, this matters more than you know. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to try for all of our students.