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Struggling to understand how to best support your LGBTQ+ youth? Want help navigating resources? Connect with Erica, our Family Support Liaison, to see how we can help.
Garden State Equality curates a map of affirming healthcare throughout the state of New Jersey. If you are looking for healthcare for people under 18, filter by the "pediatrics" speciality.
Is your child being supported in school?
The acceptance and support of the admin and teachers is a pivotal part of a child’s overall wellbeing and ability to access the education they deserve.
How and why to start a GSA
How and why to start a GSA
Provides guidance for students to organize their own GSA.
Tags: Youth, School
Access resource hereName Change and Pronouns in school
Name Change and Pronouns in school
For many young people, socially transitioning from one gender to another may begin at school. To help those around you better understand how to address you, it’s worth taking some time to inform friends and teachers of your desire to be referred to by your new name.
Tags: Youth, School
Access resource hereSchool Advocacy Toolkit: Parent Checklist
School Advocacy Toolkit: Parent Checklist
The purpose of this document is to create shared understandings of how the student’s authentic gender will be accounted for and supported at school. School staff should consider a student’s individual needs and circumstances, as well as applicable state and federal laws and their school’s own policies and practices, when determining how best to use this document.
Tags: Youth, School
Access resource hereGender Expression & School Dress Codes
Gender Expression & School Dress Codes
Clothing, accessories, hair, and grooming are powerful forms of self-expression. Every
student deserves to present themselves in ways that feel authentic and comfortable without being singled out, excluded, or punished at school.
Tags: Youth, School
Access resource hereNJ Statutes and Regulations: School Climate & Culture
NJ Statutes and Regulations: School Climate & Culture
An enduring positive school climate and culture are essential conditions for fostering learning and positive youth development that results in productive and fulfilling lives. The NJDOE supports school efforts to assess, develop and maintain positive school climates and cultures and other conditions that affect student learning and growth.
Tags: Youth, School
Access resource hereTrans College Survival Guide
Trans College Survival Guide
College can be transformative, and for trans students it can also be isolating, bureaucratic, and exhausting. This guide exists to make that path less lonely.
Developed through feedback and wisdom from Trans and Gender Diverse students, the Trans College Survival Guide gathers structural insight, hard-earned lessons, and affirming reminders for navigating higher education systems that weren’t built with us in mind. From daily survival to long-term planning, this resource centers lived experience, mutual care, and trans excellence.
You deserve more than survival, but this is a place to start.
Tags: Youth, School
Access resource here
Need help supporting your child at home?
Parenting: Supportive vs. Rejection
Parenting: Supportive vs. Rejection
Parents have a very powerful role to play in a gender-expansive youth’s life. Research has shown that supportive parenting can significantly affect our children’s positive outlook on
their lives, their mental health and their self-esteem. On the other hand, rejecting parenting behaviors are directly correlated to gender-expansive and transgender youth being more depressed and suicidal. Research studies show that the most crucial thing we as parents can do is to allow our children to be exactly who they are.
Tags: Youth, Home
Access resource hereTransParenthood: HiTOPs Support Group
TransParenthood: HiTOPs Support Group
TransParenthood is a weekly support group for parents and family members of trans, nonbinary, and gender questioning youth. We invite you to share your story, hear from others, and gain support for you and your child’s journey in the comfort of a judgment-free space.
Tags: Youth, Home
Access resource hereFamily Acceptance Project Videos
Family Acceptance Project Videos
Helping diverse families to learn how to support their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) children takes resources that touch the heart – like this trailer for our new film, "Families Are Forever" or our earlier film, "Always My Son." We're raising funds to produce a series of these short documentaries that show the journey from struggle to support of ethnically and religiously diverse families with LGBTQ children.
Tags: Youth, Home
Access resource hereGlossary of Terms
We can't do this work alone. Check out these other amazing groups supporting LGBTQ+ youth and families
Here's what parents are saying about us
Parent Testimonials
When my kiddo first told me he wanted to change his name, I shamefully revolted. However, this group gently guided and educated me as to what he was experiencing as a trans kid, and how I could help support him. I am forever grateful for this group not only because my son found belonging, but also because of the nonjudgemental support I received as a neophyte trans parent.
Anne
The Pride Center was there for our family. When our six-year-old came out as non-binary right before starting first grade in a new school, and was the only openly gender-expansive child in their entire school, we felt both proud and overwhelmed. The Pride Center gave us a supportive community. It became a place where we could ask questions, be supported, and watch our child simply be themselves among other kids and caring adults who understood. This support has truly meant the world to our family.
J
When we first found the Pride Center, I was overwhelmed and unsure what the future would look like for my child. Erica was extremely helpful in grounding me and connecting me to local resources, particularly with a gender affirming doctor. It was such a relief to feel so supported.
