Separating Fact from Fiction: Developmental and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Gender Health

April 12, 2024 | 12 – 1 p.m. CDT
Zoom Webinar

Speakers: Angela Kade Goepferd, MD and Ian Wolfe, PhD, MA, RN, HEC-C

Even though an increasing amount of data shows the benefits of gender affirming healthcare for transgender and gender diverse youth and their families, in 2023 close to half of all transgender and gender diverse youth in the US lost their access to this essential care due to bans introduced in state legislature. Disinformation about pediatric and adolescent gender affirming continues to grow making conversations about care decisions increasingly difficult. While our social and cultural understandings of gender as a spectrum becomes more accepted, medical and public spaces for transgender folks have become more restrictive. The wide difference in opinion and variable access to accurate information can make it difficult to find a framework on how to ethically think about decisions relating to gender affirming care for youth.

Good ethics start with good facts. Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd (they/them) will discuss the current social and cultural landscape of trans and gender diverse youth and explain gender identity and expression in the context of child development. Expanding on this foundation, Dr. Goepferd will explain how essential healthcare for transgender and gender diverse youth aligns with improved outcomes. Dr. Ian Wolfe (he/him) will then explore the ethical considerations that arise from the intersection of the cultural landscape and child development in the context of gender affirming care in pediatric patients.

After attending this webinar, attendees will be able to:
-Discuss the changing cultural landscape of trans and gender diverse youth
-Discuss gender identity and gender expression in the context of child development
-Explain the outcomes associated with providing essential healthcare for transgender and gender diverse youth.
-Explore the ethical considerations that arise from the intersection of the cultural landscape and child development in the context of gender affirming care in pediatric patients.

Event start time: 12:00 pm

Event end time: 01:00 pm