Select Interviews
NBC: New study establishes first causal link between anti-trans laws and suicide attempts
Dr. Turban speaks with Jo Yurcaba of NBC about a sobering new study showing that anti-trans laws are causing more suicide attempts among transgender youth. He discusses the relevance of the study, given that the US Supreme Court recently announced it will take up the question of whether bans on gender-affirming medical care for adolescents are unconstitutional.
Teen Vogue: What schools should consider when banning cell phones to protect teen mental health
Dr. Turban speaks with Teen Vogue about the complex relationships between screen time and mental health for adolescents. As schools consider banning cellphones from classrooms, they need to consider both the pros and cons of cellphone access.
PBS News Weekend: New book ‘Free To Be’ dives into medical science of gender identity for young people
Dr. Turban joins John Yang of PBS News Weekend to discuss his new book Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity, that explains the latest science, medicine, and politics of gender identity and transgender youth.
MSNBC 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle: Transgender Youth Sports Participation
Dr. Turban speaks with Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC’s 11th hour about trans youth sports participation, mental health, and why this is suddenly a hot button political issue, despite trans youth being underrepresented in both sports participation and titles.
PBS NewsHour: 41% of surveyed LGBTQ+ youth considered suicide in the past year
Dr. Turban speaks with John Yang of PBS NewsHour about about how political rhetoric targeting LGBTQ people is damaging youth mental health on a large scale.
He also discusses some macro and micro ways we can all combat these negative effects.
“Trans youth are hearing things like: your identity is a mental illness; you are dangerous to other kids on your elementary school sports teams, or you're a sexual predator.
There's tons of data that none of that stuff is true, obviously, but the kids hear it constantly, and it seeps into their subconscious. What if I am just mentally ill? What if I am dangerous? You can see how that kind of gaslighting can really worsen mental health.”
USA Today: What to know about gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary communities
Dr. Turban speaks with David Oliver of USA Today about the recent political information impacting public policy related to transgender youth.
“The rhetoric around these bills proposing to ban gender-affirming medical care for adolescents with gender dysphoria is simply false. It seems that misinformation and confusion regarding what gender care entails and how it is practiced is driving much of what is going on in the legislative arena recently. It’s worth highlighting that every major medical organization opposes such legislation."
Vox: What’s so scary about a transgender child?
Dr. Turban speaks with Emily St. James of Vox about the psychological dynamics parents experience when their children come out as transgender or gender diverse.
“Often, parents are afraid that their own children will be treated poorly by others due to their gender diversity, and so they may try to force their children to be gender-conforming, thinking they are protecting them.”
Washington Post: Pennsylvania becomes the 27th state to restrict ‘conversion therapy.’
Dr. Turban speaks with Anne Branigin of The Washington Post about the nuances of legislation and executive actions that seek to curtail discredited and dangerous “conversion efforts” - attempts to ‘cure’ LGBTQ youth.
WIRED: Gender-Affirming Care Improves Mental Health—and May Save Lives
Dr. Turban speaks with Grace Huckins of WIRED about the current evidence base linking gender-affirming medical care for trans youth to better mental health outcomes. He explores the ways in which each existing study has strengths and limitations, while discussing the importance of examining the full body of evidence together.
Washington Post: Florida memo on gender dysphoria contradicts leading medical guidance
Dr. Turban speaks with Anne Branigin of The Washington Post about how a memo from Florida’s surgeon general spread misinformation about transgender youth.
“It’s shocking to see a public health organization spread healthcare misinformation. There are false statements on nearly every line of this document.”
New York Times: How to Support Transgender & Gender Diverse Children
Dr. Turban speaks with Melinda Wenner Moyer of The New York Times about how parents and communities can support transgender and gender diverse youth.
“The most important thing is that they know you love them no matter what. Support of a young person’s gender identity has been consistently linked to better mental health outcomes.”
NBC: Early access to gender-affirming hormones linked to better mental health, study finds
Dr. Turban speaks with Jo Yurcaba from NBC about a new study showing that access to gender-affirming medical care during adolescence is associated with better mental health outcomes in adulthood among transgender people.
NPR Morning Edition: How Grindr, A Popular Gay Dating App, Poses Exploitation Risk To Minors
Dr. Turban speaks with NPR’s Morning Edition about how a lack of safe spaces for LGBTQ youth to explore romance and intimacy has resulted in these young people downloading hook-up apps designed for adults. He calls on the apps to protect LGBTQ minors and for legislation that will hold these companies accountable.
Variety: How Jazz Jennings Changed the World for Trans Youth Simply by Being Herself
In this profile of Jazz Jennings, Dr. Turban discusses recent legislative attacks on transgender youth in the US:
“This kind of national transphobic rhetoric dramatically impacts kids, resulting in worsening self-esteem, anxiety and depression. These bills truly represent a public mental health crisis.”
Washington Post: What you need to know about transgender children
Dr. Turban speaks with The Washington Post’s Samantha Schmidt about the latest research about the best ways to support transgender youth, with a focus on recent proposed legislation that could cause harm to this vulnerable population of young people.
Washington Post: The fight for the future of transgender athletes
Dr. Turban speaks with The Washington Post about recent initiatives to ban transgender youth from sports teams that match their gender identities.
“The deck is stacked against transgender youth in almost every single way. It seems silly to look at this supposed physiological advantage but not consider all the other substantial disadvantages these kids face when trying to compete.”
BBC: Transgender youth treatment banned by Arkansas
Dr. Turban speaks with the BBC’s Shrai Popat about Arkansas’s new law prohibiting physicians from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth.
“Much of the political discourse around this care has been shrouded in unscientific misinformation that implies transgender youth are 'confused' or invalid. This isn’t true, and gender-affirming care for transgender youth has been consistently linked to better mental health outcomes.”
CNN: Transgender rights in the spotlight as Arkansas and Tennessee become latest states to pass anti-trans legislation
Dr. Turban speaks with CNN’s Lauren Holt about recent legislative initiatives to limit access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. These bills are opposed by all relevant major medical organizations, including The American Psychiatric Association.
“Those who access gender-affirming medical care during adolescence have lower odds of considering suicide than those who aren't able to access these interventions. In contrast, our research shows that attempts to force transgender people to be cisgender result in greater odds of suicide attempts."
The Guardian: How trans children became 'a political football' for the Republican party
Dr. Turban speaks with The Guardian’s Sam Levin about the broad impact of trans sports debates on America’s youth.
“Even the introduction of these bills is damaging youths’ mental health," said Turban: “All around the country, kids are hearing that powerful politicians want to take away their rights"
Washington Post: Digital self-harm and what to do when kids cyberbully themselves
Dr. Turban speaks with The Washington Post’s Dr. Juli Fraga about the rise of adolescents bullying themselves online.
“Adolescents who are being mistreated may internalize the negative things they hear about themselves and start to believe them. Posting negative messages can be a sign of this self-hatred. Kids may also bully themselves to test their friendships and see what their friends really think of them.”
Vice: UCLA Pauses ‘Unethical’ Study Designed to Mentally Distress Trans People
Dr. Turban speaks with Vice’s Eleanor Cummings about a study at UCLA that was stopped due to concerns from the trans and gender diverse community.
“Psychiatry has a long history of conducting research that pathologizes gender diversity, Many correctly highlight that research has been used to harm transgender and gender diverse people. Researchers must be held to a high standard to ensure that their research will improve the lives of the people they are studying and to not cause harm.”
Vox: 9 questions about trans issues you were too embarrassed to ask
Dr. Turban speaks with Vox’s Katelyn Burns about how we can best support transgender and gender diverse youth.
“It’s important to listen to young people when they express their gender identity and to keep an open mind. Create a nonjudgmental space. The most important thing is to not instill shame. That shame can lead to serious problems down the line with anxiety and depression.”
NBC: 40 percent of LGBTQ youth ‘seriously considered’ suicide in the past year, new study says
Dr. Turban speaks with NBC about a new study from the Trevor project showing alarming rates of suicidality among #LGBTQ youth.
“Our society has a long way to go to create a safer and more affirming environment for LGBTQ youth. We once again see the devastating mental health consequences of our failures.”
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: The FDA’s Anti-gay Blood Ban Holds Back Coronavirus Treatment
Dr. Turban goes on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah to talk about the FDA’s ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. He highlights how this rule impacts both the coronavirus pandemic and the mental health of gay and bisexual men.
“It perpetuates the stigmatizing idea that many gay and bisexual men hear growing up: that the only way you can be a good person, the kind on person who donates blood, is if you don’t act on your homosexuality.”
Washington Post:
Conversion therapy associated with severe psychological distress in transgender people, study says
Dr. Turban speaks with The Washington Post about a new study linking gender identity conversion therapy to suicide attempts.
“This is a practice that some psychologists still say is an advisable practice for children and is still legal in many states.”
Rolling Stone:
Proposed South Dakota Bill Would Criminalize Doctors Giving Trans Kids Gender-Affirming Treatment
Dr. Turban is quoted in The Rolling Stone about legislation introduced in South Dakota that would criminalize the provision of gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.
“There is a growing evidence base suggesting that gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth is associated with superior mental health outcomes in adulthood.”
NBC: Nearly 200,000 trans people have been exposed to conversion therapy, study says
Dr. Turban talks to NBC News about a new study showing that gender identity conversion therapy is widespread in the United States.
“In the past, some state legislators have argued that such bans are not necessary because gender identity change efforts do not occur in their state. Our findings show that this is false.”
Vogue:
How the Parents of Trans Teens Are Fighting for Their Kids’ Lives
Dr. Turban speaks with Vogue about how over the past few decades, doctors have changed their approach to gender diverse youth.
“As recently as ten years ago, it was assumed that being transgender inevitably made children miserable and that the only way for these kids to thrive was to be somehow “cured.” But faced with the alarming instances of self-harm among this population, doctors finally began to wonder: What if the problem was how they were treated by the world? If these children were accepted and loved, if their parents helped them to embrace the gender they felt they were born to —through either drug therapy or non-medical “social transitions”—would they be happier?”