The Happy Gender Project was built on the premise that ultimately most parents just want their children to be happy.  When a baby comes into the world, we have no idea who that child will be, how they will grow, what their personality will be like, what challenges they will face, what will make them joyful and what will scare them.  We want our children’s lives to be as easy as possible, and certainly, having a child who is gender non-conforming or transgender (GNCT) can be unfamiliar and scary.  When children are faced with challenges that put them at risk for marginalization, discrimination and prejudice, parents, understandably, want to protect them.  The Happy Gender Project works with parents of GNCT young people (ages 3-22) and the schools and institutions trusted to care for them. Our mission is 1) work with families on how to best support their GNCT young people; 2) improve competencies in schools to ensure the emotional safety (and therefore, capacity to learn) of GNCT students; 3) Advocate for GNCT young people in their families in educational, religious community and medical settings.

We can help you if you are in any of the following situations:

• Your child is not conforming to how you might typically think a girl or a boy might behave and you feel upset or don’t know what to do.
• You are dealing with difficult emotions, which may include fear, anger, grief, sadness, repulsion, and ambivalence regarding your child’s gender identity and behavior.
• Your child is insisting on dressing and playing with clothes and toys typically associated with the other sex and you would like to discuss how to navigate this at home and at school.
• You are supporting your child in their gender identity, but still need some assistance how to advocating for your child at school and how to build supportive adult and peer community.
• You need assistance exploring and making decisions about medical transition, including puberty blockers, hormones, and various surgeries.
• You need assistance with finding qualified doctors and therapists in your area.
• You want to help your child cope with discrimination that they might face with peers.
• Your child’s school (from pre-school through college) needs training on how to best support your child.
• You would like to have a meeting with your child’s teacher and/or administrators and would like to bring an advocate from the Happy Gender Project with you.