THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

The TransMentor program, which officially launches in September, arrives at a key sociocultural moment in America. In a recent Atlantic cover story titled, "When Children Say They're Trans," journalist Jesse Singal suggests the dawning of a new era of "gender-identity awareness" that could make "life easier for many young people who feel constricted by the sometimes-oppressive nature of gender expectations." While this awareness is a move in the right direction, TransMentor organizers realized that mentorship—by someone who has "walked the talk"—is even more essential for helping teens explore their gender identity.

Windy City Times spoke with the TransMentor Program Coordinator, Josephine Kearns, 35, who identifies as transgender, about the genesis for this singular initiative, the benefits of a formalized mentorship program, and the biggest misconception regarding gender-fluid youth.

Windy City Times: The TransMentor Program is likely the first of its kind in the United States. What was the genesis for developing this initiative?

Josephine Kearns: We looked for another program similar to the TransMentor progam, and we have not been able to find one, except in Toronto, Canada—so we believe it's the first of its type in the U.S., and when I say the first of its type, I mean the first mentorship program specifically designed to serve trans youth. The idea came from a number of places, specifically focus groups organized by Lurie's Gender Program, which involved asking trans youth what services they're interested in—and mentorship was a very popular option.

WCT: What topics do you anticipate mentors and mentees will discuss in these one-on-one pairings?

JK: A lot of the topics that the mentees have expressed interest in are actually pretty common for this age group, such as questions about dating, and suggestions for overcoming the challenges of high school, and then college, depending on the age of the youth. They're really eager to talk to an adult who shares their identity and simply ask, "Hey, what was this like for you?" I think in a lot of cases they are just looking for someone who's been through it.

So, maybe if they have questions about the coming-out process or they have people in their lives who are having a hard time grappling with that aspect of their identity, they can talk to an adult who has been through that already, and who can say to them, "Yep, I had a hard time with this and here's how it turned out years later." I think just giving them some big picture context is incredibly valuable.

WCT: How does a mentoring relationship within a formal structure, like the TransMentor program, differ from a relationship that's more informal and organic?

JK: I think there is a very real place and value for informal mentoring relationships, too. But the reason that we're setting up the program to create these formal relationships is because so many youth do not have access to an adult who shares their identity to even begin to think about crafting those relationships. Both types of mentoring relationships are necessary and important in the lives of young people. I think that the TransMentor program is just a way to give youth access to a specific group of adults that they really want to get to know and otherwise might not have an opportunity to.

WCT: Describe your vision for the bi-monthly social events that are part of the TransMentor program.

JK: We're trying to craft the program around the wants and needs of the youth above all else. And so, as we get into it, we'll determine what sorts of things they are interested in. But a lot of it is simply creating a relaxed space. For example, in October there's a Shake Shack location downtown that has donated food and space for us to meet—they basically said 'Hey, come hang out here.' And so we're going to have an event there for all of the mentors and mentees, to help everyone get to know each other in a social setting.

WCT: You've had approximately 25 potential mentees express interest in the program and double as many mentors. Why do you think there is such an interest in the mentor role?

JK: What we hear over and over again from our mentor candidates is that when they were growing up, they wished they had access to a program like this. And now that this program exists, they really want to be able to give that to another young person—that's the refrain we hear from almost every person that we talk to.

WCT: How can potential mentors and mentees best determine if the TransMentor program—a year-long commitment—is a good fit for them?

JK: I think for the mentors it's really important that they self-assess and ask themselves 'Do I have the emotional awareness and capacity to give to a young person in this way?' The mentors need to be in a solid enough place on their own journey that they're capable of supporting someone else. Potential mentors should also be able to commit to this young person for at least a full year. It's really important to us as a program that we aren't setting up mentees to start building a relationship with someone and then lose that person prematurely.

WCT: And what about the mentees?

JK: The questions I ask mentees are: 'What kind of person are you looking to have in your life? Are you looking for a parental figure or are you actually looking for an adult who you can ask really specific questions of or who can help you with these specific goals that you have?' We want to make sure that they have realistic expectations of what a mentor can and cannot be for them.

WCT: What happens at the end of the year-long commitment? If the mentor/mentee form a strong bond are they permitted to continue their relationship beyond the parameters of the program?

JK: Yes, they can. The way we have it set up now is that at the end of the year, we'll meet with the mentor and the mentee and ask them 'What would you like this to look like going forward?' We'll figure out what makes the most sense after that year for each pairing, but the expectation is absolutely that some of the pairs would want to continue longer than a year.

WCT: Do you anticipate any pushback from mentees' parents?

JK: That's a good question. So, we can't accept mentees into the program if they're under 18, unless they have parental consent.

WCT: How do you respond to a gender-nonconforming or trans teen whose parents won't sign a TransMentor consent form but they obviously are in need of a mentor?

JK: I would tell them that I really, really wish we could help them, but this program isn't the best way for us to do it.

WCT: Where do you suggest they find alternative resources?

JK: Probably the best place is through school, like through school social workers.

WCT: Tracking data is key in order to measure success for any health- or wellness-related program: How do you plan to track data for the TransMentor program?

JK: It was really important to us in setting up this program that we make it two things: That we make it replicable because we felt it was important to do something that, if we're successful, can be copied and done in other places—so we built the whole thing with an eye toward that. And the other part was gathering data in order to determine the impact of the program. We have a research who is working with our team to determine mostly mentor and mentee satisfaction. I do want to say that, at the moment, we don't have any specific research projects that have been approved or anything like that. We're really just setting it up for our own internal measures at this point.

WCT: What are some of the more common misconceptions you've encountered regarding transgender youth?

JK: That is a big question. I think something that trans youth hear from adults a lot is the notion of "You're just going through a phase." At the end of the day, being a young person is about exploring your identity and trying different things and figuring out what's right for you. It's not really our place as adults to judge. It's really just about supporting them where they are, as they grow into the person that they want to become.

For more about the TransMentor program, visit www.luriechildrens.org/en/specialties-conditions/gender-identity-children/transmentor/ .