LGBTQ+ resources
There are lots of resources available for young people in the LGBTQ+ community, or those who are questioning their place in the world.
Project Indigo
We work with Project Indigo at Offcentre who have provided us with a few resources below. Project Indigo have a free Hackney LGBTQ+ youth group and youth counselling service. Please contact CAMHS alliance for further information on how to get in contact with Project Indigo, or go to their website.
http://offcentre.squarespace.com/project-indigo/
Mermaids
Mermaids is a charity supporting young people who are questioning their gender. They have resources for both young people, and their families (including a helpline, forums for both young people and parents, and a blog where current issues for the trans community are discussed)
Gendered Intelligence
Gendered Intelligence is a charity supporting the trans community. They have lots of resources for young people and families, including things to read, youth groups, support groups for the families of young people who are questioning their gender, and more.
https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/
Black Trans Foundation
Support aimed at Black trans and nonbinary people. It offers free 4 month courses of therapy to Black trans & nonbinary people aged 16+ in the UK, as well as resources to read.
https://www.instagram.com/blacktransfoundation/
The Mix
The Mix is an organisation for all young people under the age of 25. As well as lots of information on a range of topics (such as physical health, mental health, work and study) they have lots of resources for LGBTQ+ young people.
Books and other media
Books and media made for children:
Seeing people who look like them and their families in books and other media can help young people feel less alone and more confident that they have a place in the world.
Sex is a Funny Word – A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all orientations and gender identities, to help children (and their parents and caregivers) learn about bodies, gender, and sexuality. For children ages 8 to 10
Let’s Talk About It – A comic book guide to growing up, including understanding more about gender, sexuality, and safe sex
For teenagers:
Julian is a Mermaid – A picture book with a gender non-conforming young person at the centre
I am Jazz – A picture book with a young trans person at the centre
And Tango Makes Three – A picture book about a penguin family with two fathers
You can also use the website Little Parachutes to help you find more books for children and young people. You can search by topics and read reviews of a number of books to help you find a good fit for your family. www.littleparachutes.com/
Books and media not aimed at children
The resources in this section are aimed towards adults and may not be suitable for young children. They may be useful to adults in a family trying to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community. Please use your own best judgement before showing these to or discussing these with younger members of your family.
A-Z Magazine – An online magazine for LGBTIQ+ people of colour
Adventures in Time and Gender podcast – A playful history of the LGBTQ+ community, with a particular focus on gender
Pose – A TV series about LGBTQ+ ball culture in 1980s New York
It’s a Sin – A TV series touching on the impact of the HIV / AIDS epidemic on the gay community, set in the 1980s and 1990s in London.
Pride – A film about LGBTQ+ support of the miners’ union strikes in the UK in the 1980s
Resources for professionals
The resources in this section are aimed at professionals who are working with the LGBTQ+ community and want to support their ongoing learning.
On working with intersex children – article
On working intersectionally – article
Feeling queer or queer feelings – book
Creative arts therapies and the LGBTIQ+ community – book
Theorizing Transgender Identity for Clinical Practice: A New Model for Understanding Gender – book
Queer therapist Meg-John Barker’s work – blog and books, focuses on gender and therapy
For professionals working in schools:
https://www.justlikeus.org/single-post/growing-up-lgbt-just-like-us-research-report – Report on inclusive teaching – key finding that this improves mental health outcomes for all students not just those who are LGBTQ+
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/sites/default/files/putting_it_into_practice.pdf – Stonewall guide for LGBTQ+ inclusive PSHE – includes ideas for primary as well as secondary education.
List of LGBTQI+ reading and resources
read moreThis First Steps webinar for parents aims to help parents support their family emotionally through COVID-19.
read moreRead the full CAMHS Alliance statement and commitment to tackle racism and racial discrimination
read more