QueerCME Vodcast

Prescribing Hope: Transgender Medicine with Dr. Luke Allen | S04E04

🔊 EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode, we sit down with licensed psychologist Dr. Luke R. Allen to explore groundbreaking research showing that access to gender affirming medical care — including hormone therapy — is associated with clinically meaningful reductions in suicidal ideation among transgender and gender diverse adolescents and young adults. Dr. Allen walks us through his study’s findings [https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(25)00424-X/abstract], discusses the implications for clinical practice, and shares insight on what this evidence means for providers who want to deliver affirming, life-saving care.  🧠 ABOUT DR. LUKE R. ALLEN, PHD Dr. Luke R. Allen (he/him) is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience in research, clinical practice, and advocacy related to transgender and gender diverse health. He provides telehealth services across multiple states and specializes in supporting transgender and nonbinary youth, young adults, and their families with mental health, gender identity, and life affirming care. He is a Certified World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care Version 8 Member and Mentor and brings decades of training, scholarship, and clinical experience to both therapeutic work and scientific inquiry. (Luke R. Allen, PhD [https://lukeallenphd.com/about-me]) Dr. Allen’s approach emphasizes autonomy, dignity, and collaborative care — helping clients pursue meaningful lives on their own terms. His work bridges evidence, ethics, and community needs, with scholarly contributions that help shape our understanding of best practices in gender-affirming treatment. (Luke R. Allen, PhD [https://lukeallenphd.com/about-me]) Read more about Dr. Allen: https://lukeallenphd.com/about-me [https://lukeallenphd.com/about-me] (Luke R. Allen, PhD [https://lukeallenphd.com/about-me?utm_source=chatgpt.com]) 📚 STUDY SUMMARY: CHANGES IN SUICIDALITY AMONG TRANSGENDER ADOLESCENTS FOLLOWING HORMONE THERAPY: AN EXTENDED STUDY Published in The Journal of Pediatrics, this study tracked 432 transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults who began hormone therapy and completed standardized suicide screening measures both before and after treatment. Over an average of nearly two years of follow-up, the researchers observed significant declines in suicidal ideation and related behavior following initiation of hormone therapy — a finding consistent across age groups and assigned sex at birth. These results extend earlier smaller studies and provide robust clinical evidence that timely access to gender affirming care can play a protective role in mental health outcomes for trans youth. (ScienceDirect [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002234762500424X?utm_source=chatgpt.com]) 📄 Read the study here: https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(25)00424-X/abstract [https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(25)00424-X/abstract] (jpeds.com [https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476%2825%2900424-X/abstract?utm_source=chatgpt.com])

Listening Across Oceans – Youth Access in New Zealand with Dr. Bex Canner | S04E03

In this episode, Dr. Bex Canner, a retired family medicine physician with years of experience practicing in Aotearoa (New Zealand), joins us to unpack the shifting legal and cultural landscape of puberty blockers for trans youth. Dr. Canner reflects on how New Zealand once seemed poised to expand gender affirming care—but now faces growing misinformation, fear-based rhetoric, and policy uncertainty. Together, we name the harm of anti-trans narratives like “mutilation” and ground listeners in what puberty blockers actually are: safe, evidence-based care that gives trans and gender diverse youth time to explore who they are. If you’ve ever wondered what’s really happening with trans healthcare in New Zealand, this episode offers nuance, clarity, and global solidarity. Here's the link for the Counting Ourselves [https://countingourselves.nz/]survey mentioned.

More Spoons Nutrition | S04E02

Join me and Mel Jones [https://www.morespoonsnutrition.com/about/] of More Spoons Nutrition [https://www.morespoonsnutrition.com/] to learn more about the role of dietitians in gender affirming care.  Mel and I also shared these resources during the pod: * Sabrina String's Fearing the Black Body [https://sabrinastrings.com/books/] * Da'Shaun Harrison's The Belly of the Beast [https://dashaunharrison.com/shop/belly-of-the-beast/] * Dalai Knisey's Decolonizing Wellness [https://www.daliakinsey.com/] * The Association for Size Diversity and Health [https://asdah.org/] * FedUp Collective [https://fedupcollective.org/] * Nutrition Guidance for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals [https://sites.google.com/slu.edu/transgendernutrition/home]

Seeing Ourselves Clearly – Affirming Eyewear with Briar Brodwell | S04E01

What happens when you combine optical science, high fashion, and radical body autonomy? You get Briar Brodwell (he/him), LDO, ABOC, NCLEC—Licensed Dispensing Optician, queer community icon, and gender affirming eyewear stylist. In this episode, we zoom in on a lesser-talked-about aspect of gender expression: eyewear—and how something as “small” as a pair of glasses can become a transformative, affirming tool in a trans or gender diverse person’s life. Briar brings nine years of optical expertise and six years of joy-filled service at Eye Eye, Seattle’s chic and celebrated optometry and optical shops. But this isn’t just about frames and lenses. Briar weaves his lived experience as a trans man with a fierce commitment to patient advocacy and Tikkun Olam—repairing the world—to revolutionize how we view ourselves and each other. From first-time gender affirming glasses to navigating gendered healthcare spaces with integrity, Briar shares practical insights, compassionate stories, and the healing power of seeing—and being seen—as our truest selves. Visit Eye Eye in Seattle or online [http://www.eyeeye.care]!  See the Opticians Association of Washington online here [https://www.oaw.org].

Trans Health History | S03E06

Join Dr. Crystal Beal and trans tech scholar Dr. Os Keyes [https://ironholds.org/] for a juicy deep dive into the lesser-known history of trans health clinics—from bureaucratic drama to unethical experiments masked as care. We unpack how embedding research into clinical delivery has sometimes led to violations of autonomy, consent, and trust—and what today’s clinicians can learn from these cautionary tales. Come for the history, stay for the hot takes and ethical tea. 🫖   Find the video with captions on QueerCME's YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@queercme]