Q&A With Admiral Rachel Levine, M.D. on Transgender Youth — Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

As the American Psychiatric Association notes, it is not being LGBTQI+ that increases your risk of having mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal ideation. It is the bullying, harassment, and overt discrimination that LGBTQI+ youth face that lead to those mental health outcomes whether from home or at school.

After the brutal murder of 14-year-old trans girl Pauly Likens in Mercer County this summer, I was struggling mightily with how to move forward with my work. The story of how this interview came to be is convoluted, but I put on my blogger hat and asked Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to complete an email Q&A. As a trans woman, a pediatrician, and a Pennsylvania native, it felt right to ask her to help describe a path forward.

It was a long shot, but it worked. I’ve never interviewed someone at her level of government before so it was definitely eye-opening. I’m immensely grateful to Admiral Levine and the other folx who made this happen. Publishing this during the month of the Trans Day of Remembrance seems fitting given the nature of our questions.