Transgender Conference Educates Community, Focuses on Unmet Needs

Members of the transgender community gathered en masse for the first time since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to connect on several key issues, from employment opportunities and best practices to understanding the current legal status of key rights, such as the ability to self-identify or change names.

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Charlie Arrowood, Esq., leads a workshop on name change and gender marker change at the Long Island, Transgender, Gender Non-Confirming, Non-Binary (TGNCNB) Conference. Credit Northwell Health (Photo: Business Wire)

The Center for Transgender Care at Northwell Health and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell kicked off Transgender Week by hosting the third annual Long Island, Transgender, Gender Non-Confirming, Non-Binary (TGNCNB) Conference on November 14 at Hofstra University. More than 100 participants attended the conference, which was supported by the Northwell Health Transgender Community Advisory Board and an ongoing contribution for transgender education from Steven and Stacy Hoffman.

“Northwell has treated more than 1,200 transgender individuals across Long Island since we began the Center for Transgender Care,” said David Rosenthal, DO, PhD, medical director of the LGBT Health/Transgender Program at Northwell Health. “Their needs are physical, mental and social, so it is essential that we create partnerships with community organizations who serve this community. This conference is created for, and by, the community here in Long Island.”

This year’s conference focused on medical care, social support and addressing unmet needs on Long Island for TGNCNB individuals both in adolescence and adulthood, as well as their parents and children. Educational workshops focused on community agencies and their services and highlighted topics regarding legal name change, an introduction to transgender vocabulary, health and wellness, loving yourself, positive parenting of gender expansive youth, physical fitness, education on assisting a transgender child post-COVID-19 and employment challenges and strategies in the trans community.

“This conference brought together medical providers from Northwell Health, community based organizations and our patients and their families to speak about issues of importance for Transgender Care in Long Island,” said Sundeep Boparai, MHA, operations manager for Northwell’s LGBT Transgender Program.

Several community-based organizations took part: LGBT Network, Pride for Youth, Transgender Legal Defense Fund, Camp Ga’avah, PFLAG Long Island, Thursday’s Child, Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, The Out Foundation, Changing the Game and the NY Transgender Bodybuilding Federation.

The event also took time to commemorate the national Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is November 20. In 2021 alone, at least 46 individuals nationwide have been killed due to transgender violence.

“Trans folxs are regular people, and like each and every one of us, they need the same health care and family support,” Dr. Rosenthal said. “We cannot tolerate discrimination and hatred against people living their authentic lives.”

The Center for Transgender Care can be reached at CenterForTransCare@northwell.edu or 516-622-5195.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 77,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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