Separating Fact from Fiction:
Developmental and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Gender Health
Angela Kade Goepferd, MD
Children's MinnesotaAngela Kade Goepferd, MD
Ian Wolfe, PhD, MA, RN, HEC-CChildren's Minnesota
Disinformation about pediatric and adolescent gender affirming continues to grow making conversations about care decisions increasingly difficult. While our social and cultural understandings of gender as a spectrum becomes more accepted, medical and public spaces for transgender folks have become more restrictive. The wide difference in opinion and variable access to accurate information can make it difficult to find a framework on how to ethically think about decisions relating to gender affirming care for youth.
- Discuss the changing cultural landscape of trans and gender diverse youth.
- Discuss gender identity and gender expression in the context of child development.
- Explain the outcomes associated with providing essential healthcare for transgender and gender diverse youth.
- Explore the ethical considerations that arise from the intersection of the cultural landscape and child development in the context of gender affirming care in pediatric patients.