My daughter is trans. If you go to Whitman Walker, just be prepared. They are very, very gender affirming. They will start hormone therapy once you get cleared by your primary care physician and get the required blood work. There was no therapy offered. They ask if you are currently in therapy. I was disappointed that there wasn't more effort to screen kids. My daughter (son at the time) was 17, so well past puberty. There wasn't much risk for us since the effects of the hormones are almost completely reversible. My daughter took them for about two months and really didn't like the way they made her feel, so she decided to stop at least for a while. She still presents very male, but uses a female name and female pronouns. For now, that's enough for her. I'm not sure where her journey will take her. She is 19 now and in complete control of her own health care. We call her by her chosen name and pronouns. I'm not sure if she'll ever go any further. Thankfully, her high school was extremely gender affirming. In college, no one cares.

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried Baltimore? https://chasebrexton.org/find-doctor/elyse-pine

I don’t have a trans kid, but I went to school with Elyse and can vouch that she’s a great person.

OP- Dr. Pine and Chase Brexton is amazing and comes highly recommended by other families of trans/non-binary/gender expansive kiddos.

Have you tried Baltimore? https://chasebrexton.org/find-doctor/elyse-pine

I don’t have a trans kid, but I went to school with Elyse and can vouch that she’s a great person.

OP, you are a great mom. Good for you for advocating and supporting your precious child. Lifesaving decision.

In addition to Whitman Walker, we have had a very good experience at Chase Brexton in Columbia md. For therapy many teen therapists are knowledgeable on these gender topics now.

I don't have a recommendation for therapists or hormones but to get engaged with the community, consider reaching out to MCC NoVa. They're a church but the support groups are non-religious, and I've found them really helpful. I'm in the trans significant others one, but they have them for youth and parents of trans kids. It's good to talk to people going through what you're going through.

There is someone in falls church. Trying to remember the name.

My teen uses Whitman-Walker and while it's been a good experience, I agree that they are not the right "starting point" for a person who is in the early stages of figuring this all out. We were referred there by my child's therapist, who she still see in addition to W-W. The person my teen works with at W-W is excellent but not once have I felt that they are digging deep to try and tease out anything beyond what my kid says is going on. And we jumped to the offer of hormones earlier than I felt was right (we got there eventually but a little slower). So you definitely want to be sure there is someone who is doing that kind of work for your child alongside the clinic.

Anonymous wrote:OP I really hope you and your child are able to get thorough support and explore every option without rushing into any decisions or tracks that will cause or likely result in irreversible lifelong effects to health, beyond bodily appearance.
Your child must trust you a lot to be able to tell you about these feelings. That is a good thing!
But PLEASE don’t rush this. Make sure whatever therapist your child works with makes sure your child has a fully developed and nuanced understanding of gender before starting meds. Is your child otherwise very well adjusted? Does your child have good friends? Hobbies? Sports or other interests? Healthy time away from screens?
I just worry about kids growing up nowadays.

Signed, a very non gender conforming gay adult who “passed” a transgender diagnostic test and would have totally transitioned had this been a thing when I was 15. Thankfully at 45 I am at peace with my born sex and my body.

It woudl be great if you'd be willing to do an AMA.

OP I really hope you and your child are able to get thorough support and explore every option without rushing into any decisions or tracks that will cause or likely result in irreversible lifelong effects to health, beyond bodily appearance.
Your child must trust you a lot to be able to tell you about these feelings. That is a good thing!
But PLEASE don’t rush this. Make sure whatever therapist your child works with makes sure your child has a fully developed and nuanced understanding of gender before starting meds. Is your child otherwise very well adjusted? Does your child have good friends? Hobbies? Sports or other interests? Healthy time away from screens?
I just worry about kids growing up nowadays.

Signed, a very non gender conforming gay adult who “passed” a transgender diagnostic test and would have totally transitioned had this been a thing when I was 15. Thankfully at 45 I am at peace with my born sex and my body.

We asked our pediatrician for recommendations, as well as our child's school counselor. I don't recall the names now, but the ones on that post listed above sound familiar.

My child went to Whiteman Walker. Just be aware, they are very gender affirming. They are not unbiased. Be sure she gets therapy and knows what she wants before the appointment. Hormone therapy was the first step. It’s hard, OP. Sending you love and support.

Anonymous wrote:there are some suggestions on this thread:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/939010.page

thanks so much! I had done a search but it didn't pull that one, just two thread where everyone argued about stuff

there are some suggestions on this thread:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/939010.page

Hi trans parents and parents of trans or nonconforming kiddos,
My assigned-male-at-birth 15yo has come out to me as transgender - they are 100% certain they aren't male, but they aren't sure yet who they are on the scale between non-binary and all the stops on the way to fully female-presenting. They want to get on hormone blockers and estrogen asap, and time is of the essence (without rushing it, i do want to be sure of side effects etc) bc they are feeling very anxious about the changes already happening in their body (hairy legs, adam's apple starting, etc). We are very supportive and want to get them the support they need to explore this with experts, and also, if they decide to do it, access to hormone blockers & or estrogen. I have done a lot of internet research on what's available in this area and it's all Children's National (which just told me they have a ONE YEAR WAIT LIST) and stuff in Richmond and Charlottesville, but nothing in Arlington/Alexandria/DC that isn't either CHildren's Natl or a neighborhood clinic that's solely for those without insurance (so we don't qualify). PLEASE, PLEASE help me out with your recommendations.