Young people living outside of gender norms are everywhere. Whether in the process of transitioning from male to female or vice versa; identifying outside boxes; or gender-nonconforming, the spectrum of gender identities is more visible than ever before.

However, these transgender or gender-nonconforming (TGNC) (read more about LGBTQ terms here) youth face legal and other obstacles (read the transgender youth fact sheet). The challenges of changing one’s name, finding access to hormones, or enduring police brutality, for instance, demand a distinctly adult set of skills and can take their toll on a young person.

If you don’t have a safe place to call home, it’s difficult to get a handle on the other struggles in your life. And TGNC youth have a high rate of homelessness because many can’t rely on parental support—whether financial or emotional or both. Not to mention that mistreatment at school is so common that many drop out.

Some states have passed gender identity antidiscrimination laws that apply to schools and out-of-home-care settings. And some states have passed laws that specifically prohibit bullying on the basis of gender identity.

TGNC youth do still have enforceable legal rights, even in states that have no such laws, because federal statutes like the Equal Access Act and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act protect equal opportunity and free expression. Not to mention the U.S. Constitution, which (like many state constitutions) guarantees equal protection—which means that public schools and a range of other facilities must present valid reasons for treating someone differently.

Lambda Legal also urges schools and out-of-home care facilities to do more than the legal minimum to ensure safety and equal education for TGNC young people.

If you need more information about transgender youth and their legal rights, contact Lambda Legal at 866-542-8336 or visit www.lambdalegal.org/help.