“They Make These Laws to Put Us Back in Our Place”: A Found Poem on the Trauma, Hope, and Resilience of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth and Discriminatory Policies

Abstract

In early 2021, over 50 bills were proposed to limit rights for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth across the United States. Anti-TGD policies and rhetoric are associated with poorer mental health for TGD youth. We used focus groups with a TGD youth research board ( N = 6) to explore the impacts of the current policy climate. Following thematic analysis, we used quotes from participants in the form of a research poem to share the story of the findings. We share this poem as a call to action for scholars and advocates to resist these harmful and dangerous policies.