TYFA - News Archives

This is a collection of items of interest to TYFA friends and allies. These items originally appeared on the website's home page under the "What's New?" heading, and are listed by date, the most recent first.

December 10, 2012 - This year, TransYouth Family Allies helped hundreds of families with transgender and gender-nonconforming children. Please help us help more families and children in 2013 through a recurring subscription or one-time donation in any amount. Your tax-free contribution will allow us to continue this important work!

December 10, 2012 - Be sure to check out TransYouth Family Allies' board member Jo Olson on the Ricki Lake Show on Tuesday, December 11! The episode is on transgender youth & adults. Check your local listings for time and channel.

October 25, 2012 - Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2012: LOS ANGELES, CA– TransYouth Family Allies (TYFA) has been named recipient of the 2013 Community Partner Angel Award by Angels of Change, a project of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The ceremony will take place during the Angels of Change calendar release and
runway show at 6:00 pm on Saturday October 27, 2012 at Arena Night Club in Los Angeles.

October 17, 2012 - youtube.com - Ellen DeGeneres helped me survive high school & become a strong woman : Ali, a teen from Arkansas shows us what it is like to grow up in small town America. She is a role model to LGBT youth. Ali talks about realizing her gender identity, being bullied, & how her role model inspires her. We want to tell her story in a scripted film called FRIEND. FRIEND is about overcoming bullying in 2012. Please take a look at the project indiegogo.com/friendproject.

September 6, 2012 - Huffingtonpost.com - In Support of My Daughter: Why (and for Whom) I Am Defensive: In a powerful piece written by Jessie's mom, the author comes to the defense of her trans-daughter and her family. "Once she was finally able to "share her secret" with us, my husband and I did what came naturally and seemed right; we would support her in any way she needed. That is what parents are supposed to do." Helping, supporting and protecting families like Jessie's as what TYFA is all about!

September 2, 2012 - The Boston Globe: Camp unites transgender kids on outskirts."There are few places transgender youth feel accepted. Camp Aranu’tiq was created to change that. It is the only camp of its kind in the country, a camp for transgender kids, where idle chatter on sports, music, school, and teenage crushes blends right in with talk about “coming out,” “transitioning,” puberty blockers — and bullying."
TYFA Executive Director Kim Pearson said, "Brought tears to my eyes. Great job Nick Teich and all your volunteers for creating a happy healthy place for our kids!

August 31, 2012 - Yahoo.com: Dad Protects Son from Bullies by Wearing a Skirt. Guess What? It Works. "Nils Pickert's 5-year-old son likes wearing dresses. If anyone thinks that's odd they can take it up with Nils. He's the guy in the skirt." "After Pickert's son learned that lesson, he began passing the wisdom on to his classmates. If he's teased now, he tells them: 'You don't dare to wear skirts and dresses because your dads don't dare to either."

July 22, 2012 - Transgender children in America encounter new crossroads with medicine.
It's unclear how many children around the world have felt trapped in their own bodies the way 11-year-old Josie Romero has struggled with hers. Born a boy but living socially as a girl since age 6, Josie -- the subject of a Dateline report airing Sunday, July 8th, 2012 -- is just one of 10,000 children who have significant gender identity problems, according to one popular estimate.

July 12, 2012 - Families of Gender Nonconforming and Transgender Kids to Convene in Berkeley [CA].
Berkeley will be hosting the 2012 Gender Spectrum Family Conference, a "gathering dedicated solely to the needs of gender nonconforming children and teens, their loved ones, and the community of professionals who surround them."

April 16, 2012 - A new support group, Gender Rainbow Playgroup, for families with children ages 4-12, now exists in southeast Michigan. It meets once a month and is an inclusive environment in which gender may be freely expressed and respected. It gives children and their families an opportunity to bond, share experiences, and develop friendships. For more information contact Genderplaygroup@gmail.com.
To find support groups in your state, please click here.
To add your group to the list, please contact us.

February 7, 2012 - TYFA Executive Director Kim Pearson has written the foreword for a soon-to-be-released book entitled, Transitions of the Heart. Transitions of the Heart is the first collection to ever invite mothers of transgender and gender variant children of all ages to tell their own stories about their child’s gender transition. The book, scheduled for release in May, may be pre-ordered from Amazon.com.

January 23, 2012 - Flamingo Rampant! Gender Independent Kids Books: "THE ADVENTURES OF TULIP, BIRTHDAY WISH FAIRY follows title-character Tulip as he deals with the birthday wishes of all the nine-year-olds in North America." This is one of the books, introducing the concept of trans-identified children in a friendly, sympathetic way, that the founders plan to distribute to schools and libraries. Kids' ability to see themselves in books available to them is an incredibly valuable thing. Any parent, teacher, librarian, or caregiver will tell you that kids love books that reflect their daily experience. Please help support the project.

January 4, 2012 - TYFA Executive Director Kim Pearson is scheduled to be a Featured Speaker at Mendocino College, Ukiah, CA at the Coming Together to Make It Better conference on February 4. Come and hear for yourself what TYFA is all about from the woman who makes good things happen for the kids.