Gender Diversity Programs
We provide support to families raising transgender and gender non-conforming children and teens through our five monthly support groups, two annual conferences (Gender Odyssey and Gender Odyssey Family conferences), direct consultations with parents, and provider referral services.
Secondly, we offer trainings to public and private schools (K-12) to create gender-inclusive learning environments, identify measures to decrease bullying, and provide assistance with gender transitioning students or employees.
Lastly, we work to increase the understanding of transgender and other gender diversity issues for organizations, agencies, providers and professionals through group or individualized trainings.
Learn more about our conferences at
www.genderodyssey.org and
www.genderodysseyfamily.orgRecent Successes and Current Challenges
We began our family support group at Seattle Children's Hospital in 2008 with four families in attendance at the first few meetings. In the past year alone, the growing need for support has required us to expand our initial parent group to three separate groups for parents, an in-person group and an online group for teens, and a play group for transgender and gender non-conforming children. Our support groups expand with new members at every meeting.
Our organization is led by one part-time salaried employee and a team of dedicated volunteers. The growth in our support programs, the ever-increasing request for trainings, and the expansion of our national conference has over-stretched our organizational capacity. We have a urgent need to increase our staff without the financial resources to do so.