This charcoal gesture drawing, inspired by a mid-adolescent nonbinary patient, investigates a caregiver’s and patient’s journey from despair to hope.

“Born that way” arguments have been used to establish transgender rights, but lack scientific evidence. Stronger support for promoting transgender rights comes instead from human rights-based language.

Feminism plays critical roles in innovating health care policies and practices. Feminist insights into clinicians as gatekeepers to gender-transition interventions can help resist tendencies to pathologize transgender.

One transgender patient draws upon his transition experiences to suggest strategies for health care professionals looking to be more responsive to transgender patients’ needs.

Adolescents with gender dysphoria should be active participants in decisions about their gender-related health care.

Physicians should extend gender-affirming treatment to gender-nonconforming people, who experience discrimination and health disparities.

In referring transgender patients for medical transition, clinicians should be guided by harm reduction, respect for autonomy, and continuity of care.

Research should be conducted on transgender populations to inform evidence-based guidelines for gender-affirming treatment.

The AMA Code of Medical Ethics opinions related to discrimination and disparities in health care.

Minors, including those with autism, have the right in certain states to make decisions about their own medical care provided they meet certain criteria. Even in cases in which the “mature minor exception” does not apply, physicians should actively engage patients in discussion of their treatment.