• Ask patients what terms or pronouns they would like to use to self-identify. Use the pronouns and name preferred by the patient in documentation, report writing and conversation.
• Be aware of your own assumptions. Normalize use of inclusive words.
• Avoid defamatory language.
• As of 2017, 770,000 adult“Person who is not a child” (Texas Family Code §101.003). More and 158,500 youth Texans identified as LGBTQ+ (Mallory, Brown, Russell, & Sears, 2017).
• High school students who identify as LGBTQ+ are (CDC, 2015):
  • 13% more likely to be forced to have sex,
  • 14% more likely to experience dating violence,
  • 10% more likely to experience physical dating violence,
  • 15% more likely to be bullied, and
  • 40% more likely to have seriously considered suicide.
• Ask questions about safety of patient and others (suicidality or risk for harm to others).

Resources

• Center of Excellence for Transgender Health
• Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence
• GLAAD
• It Gets Better Project
• Rape Crisis Information
• Stop Bullying
• Texas Advocacy Project
• The Trevor Project
• Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)
• World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)