The transgender community in the US is small; roughly estimated at between 1 -3 million people. However, it represents a broad diversity of people. “Transgender” is an umbrella term covering diverse kinds of gender expression. Youth who call themselves transgender may also call themselves transsexual, cross-dresser, gender queer, butch, boi, drag king, drag queen, gender non-conforming, and others. Transgender youth are in a gender minority rather than a sexual minority – being transgender doesn’t mean you are gay or lesbian.

There is no doubt transgender youth are considered the most at-risk youths. They’re more likely to commit suicide, be bullied and harassed in school, be sexually abused, and be homeless. Many youth expressing non-gender conforming behavior or identifying as transgender find themselves rejected by family, school, church, peers and other communities of origin. They often become homeless and unemployable, and are forced into the street economy - very often into sex work. One of the most problematic and glaring issue is that transgender homeless youth are three times more likely than other homeless youth to engage in survival sex, which is sex in exchange for money, shelter, drugs, or hormones. Some transgender homeless youth will trade sex just to have a place to stay for the night. For boys and transgender youth, the average age of entry into prostitution is 11-13. Unsurprisingly, because of the exposure homeless youths endure on the street, they are particularly susceptible to many negative health conditions. Violence, rape, STI’s, tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS, poor nutrition, poor hygiene, chemical dependency, and a host of other health-related issues that are the result of surviving on the street are not uncommon.

Why are transgender so especially vulnerable to sex work? Well, the vast majority of transgender are poor. They’re often turned away from places like McDonald’s if they’re visibly trans – the most basic workplaces and most basic jobs. Trans youths are out there and they often have to rely on sex work regardless of what other skills they might have. More than any other group, they are doing sex work for survival. They absolutely have no choice. Advocates say that people obviously in the middle of transition are often discriminated against when looking for work. For instance, in one recent study, of the 20 transgender women interviewed, 2/3 were forced out of their family homes, and half were forced out before the age of 18. As adults, the more passable and pretty ones go stealth and find work in mainstream economy, but the minute they’re out as transgender people in the work force, they’re in trouble.

For more information on transgender and where to get help if you’re a transgender:

• Positive Image http://www.posimages.org/ Positive Images provides support and advocacy to Sonoma County’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersexed youth and young adults, and educates the greater community. We envision a Sonoma County where all youth are valued, compassionate community members, creating a just society.

• Trans*topia Amplify your voice A section of Youth Resouce (a project of Advocates for Youth) designed for the needs of trans youth. Includes great articles about being transgender and young... both personal accounts and in depth articles.

• Trans Proud http://www.transproud.com/  OutProud's website for transgender youth. Headline news, links to other transgender sites for trans youth, loads of resources and information, stories of other transgender teens, message boards, as well as resources for parents of transgender children.

• Resources for Young Transsexuals http://www.annelawrence.com/youngindex.html  A section of Dr. Anne Lawrence's Transsexual Women's Resource website, designed to empower transsexual women by providing factual information, informed opinion, and personal narrative. Links to many great websites about and for trans youth.

• TransFamily http://www.transfamily.org TransFamily is a support group for transgendered and transsexual people, their parents, partners, children, other family members, friends, and supportive others. We provide referrals, literature, and over-the-phone information on all transgender issues. Although our meetings are held in Cleveland, Ohio, the Internet has enabled us to extend helping hands to transgendered individuals and their famlies across the globe.

• Youth Assistance Organization: San Francisco, CA www.youth.org YOUTH.ORG is a service run by volunteers, created to help self-identifying gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning youth. YOUTH.ORG exists to provide young people with a safe space online to be themselves.

• The PERSON project www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/) provides almost everything you might need to know about GLBT equity organizing in K-12 public education in the USA.