It is undeniable that the transgender community has been gaining greater public attention in the last several years. While activists have been working for decades to increase acceptance, the high-profile case and transition of Chelsey Manning and celebrities like Chaz Bono, Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner, combined with the integration of transgender story lines in shows like “Transparent,” have helped the community gain traction within the mainstream—increasing awareness about the difficulties faced by individuals with gender dysphoria.

Understanding Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria is recognized by diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V) as the psychological distress individuals experience when their gender identities are incompatible with their sex assigned at birth. Treatments for gender dysphoria range from “social transition,” which may include coming out to friends and family, changing names or adjusting appearance, to “medical transition” which may include hormone treatment, psychotherapy or surgery.

To give perspective on the challenges faced by the transgender community, in 2011 the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality completed a National Transgender Discrimination Survey with staggering statistics. Specifically, the survey produced the following results:

• 57 percent of respondents experienced family rejection;