About Gender

Start here. Learn the basics of Understanding Gender in this gentle but thorough article from Gender Spectrum.

Deepen your understanding of transgender people in this helpful Trans 101 resource from Sylvia Rivera Law Project.

Understand more about people with intersex conditions at the Intersex Society of North America.

Read "'An Ally's Guide to Terminology,' designed for new allies who want to support LGBT Americans but often face an array of confusing terminology and language. This short guide offers an overview of essential vocabulary, terms to avoid, and a few key messages for talking about various issues."

For Providers

Continuing Education:

Caring for Transgender and Genderqueer Clients with Cultural Humility: A 90-minute webinar using the Cultural Humility framework to address trans sensitivity and gender inclusivity in reproductive health care.

Providing Culturally Sensitive Care for LGBTQ Families: An online, self-paced course with 7+ hours of webinars and audio recordings, with material specific to midwives, doulas, and childbirth educators. CEUs provided.

Providing Culturally Proficient Services to Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People: an independent CME study course sponsored by Cedar River Clinics and the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, co-authored by Simon Adriane Ellis, CNM

Midwifery Care for Every Body: a presentation at the MANA 2013 conference by Jackson Carr, CPM and Krystel Viehmann, LM, CPM, AP

Counseling LGBTQ Couples: a webinar download about providing lactation services for LGBTQ people

Griggs, Kellie M., Colette B. Waddill, April A. Bice and Natalie Ward. “Care during Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum, and Human Milk Feeding for Individuals Who Identify as LGBTQ.” MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing (2020).

Continuing Ed Units available for this article at

https://nursing.ceconnection.com/public/modules/14282

Videos:

To Treat Me, You Have to Know Who I Am: a video from the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation about providing health care for LGBTQ people (including comments from a midwifery client)

Transforming FAMILY, a video from the LGBTQ Parenting Network, jumps directly into an ongoing conversation among trans people about parenting

Scenes From a Fertility Clinic: educational videos and accompanying materials intended to be used by people working in fertility services who are interested in helping improve the quality of their service to LGBTQ people, and by LGBTQ people who are considering using the services of sperm banks and/or fertility clinics.

Research:

Gedzyk-Nieman SA, McMillian-Bohler J. Inclusive Care for Birthing Transgender Men: A Review of the Literature. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2022 Sep;67(5):561-568.

García-Acosta JM, San Juan-Valdivia RM, Fernández-Martínez AD, Lorenzo-Rocha ND, Castro-Peraza ME. Trans* Pregnancy and Lactation: A Literature Review from a Nursing Perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 19;17(1):44.

MacLean LR. Preconception, Pregnancy, Birthing, and Lactation Needs of Transgender Men. Nurs Womens Health. 2021 Apr;25(2):129-138. doi: 10.1016/j.nwh.2021.01.006. Epub 2021 Feb 27. PMID: 33651985.

Lee R. Queering Lactation: Contributions of Queer Theory to Lactation Support for LGBTQIA2S+ Individuals and Families. J Hum Lact. 2019 May;35(2):233-238.

Ferri RL, Rosen-Carole CB, Jackson J, Carreno-Rijo E, Greenberg KB; Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. ABM Clinical Protocol #33: Lactation Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Plus Patients. Breastfeed Med. 2020 May;15(5):284-293.

Hoffkling, A, Obedin-Maliver, J, Sevelius, J (2017). From erasure to opportunity: a qualitative study of the experiences of transgender men around pregnancy and recommendations for providers. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2017, 17(Suppl 2):332, 7-20.

Obedin-Maliver, J., Makadon, H. J. (2016) Transgender men and pregnancy. Obstet Med, 9(1):4-8.

MacDonald et al. (2016) Transmasculine individuals' experiences with lactation, chestfeeding and gender identity: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Online.

Ellis, S. A., Wojnar, D. M., & Pettinato, M. (2014). Conception, pregnancy and birth experiences of male and gender variant gestational parents: It's how we could have a family. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 60(1), 62-69.

Light, A. D., Obedin-Maliver, J., Sevelius, J. M., & Kerns, J. L. (2014). Transgender men who experienced pregnancy after female-to-male gender transitioning. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 124(6), 1120-1127.

Pyne, J. (2012). Transforming Family: Trans Parents and Their Struggles, Strategies and Strengths. Toronto.

Organizations:

Canadian Association of Midwives: A Statement on Gender Inclusivity and Human Rights.

American College of Nurse-Midwives position statement, "Transgender/Transsexual/Gender Variant Health Care" supports efforts to provide safe, comprehensive, culturally competent health care

Inclusive Language Guide from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Queer/Trans* People of Color Birthwerq Project: a collective of birthworkers that provide training and resources on trans birth and reproductive health. (There are links for parents here too.)

interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth: a legal organization dedicated to advocating for intersex children and their families

University of California San Francisco The Center of Excellence for Transgender Health: Documents and guidelines on primary and specialty care for transgender and genderqueer people

Informed Consent Association for Transgender Health: Guidelines for care of transgender and genderqueer patients from the perspective of patient autonomy.

For Parents

Trans Birth: a directory created to connect trans* and gender non-conforming people and their families to midwives, OBGYNs, and doulas who provide welcoming and affirming care.

Freeing Ourselves: A Guide to Health and Self Love for Brown Bois: By the Brown Boi Project (featuring Sara Flores, CNM)

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: a resource guide for transgender populations, covering health, legal issues, cultural and social questions, history, theory, and more. It is a place for up-to-date information on transgender life published by Oxford University Press.

What Makes a Baby: a children’s book by Cory Silverberg, “A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question 'Where Do Babies Come From?'" offers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like." —The Atlantic

FAQ about Transgender Parenting from Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.

Pidgeon Pagonis, award winning journalist and director, writes about their experience as an intersex person and activist.

Brazen - Trans Women Safer Sex Guide: This guide is for trans women (people who identify on some level as any of the following: woman/womyn/girl/female/feminine/femme but were assigned male at birth) and their sex partners. This resource covers topics such as body parts and identities, disclosure, HIV and other STIs, safer sex, surgeries, talking to your doctor, harm reduction and sex work.

Prison Birth Project supports, encourages, and trains currently and formerly incarcerated mothers and trans* parents to become community leaders within a reproductive justice framework.

Young Women United is a community organizing project by and for self-identified young women of color in New Mexico, working to defend reproductive rights, improve access to quality health care, de-stigmatize young families, improve prenatal care and treatment for substance using pregnant women, and improve women of color’s access to a wide range of birth options. Additionally, they hold groups for LGBTQI-identified youth.

Strong Families is an organization working towards their vision that every family has the rights, recognition and resources it needs to thrive. See their important resource guide Where to Start, What to Ask: A Guide for LGBT People Choosing Health Care Plans, specifically the section on Reproductive Healthcare.

Black and Pink is an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other. Their work toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex is rooted in the experience of currently and formerly incarcerated people. They are outraged by the specific violence of the prison industrial complex against LGBTQ people, and respond through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing.

https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/transgender-non-binary-parents/ has an info sheet and resources for transgender parents interested in lactation.

LGBTQI-Friendly Sperm Banks: