For pediatricians, taking good care of children as they navigate puberty and adolescence means listening — and talking — as kids figure out sexuality, identity and relationships.
Even those lucky kids with supportive and open-minded parents often find they want to talk through these topics with an adult outside their immediate families, and the primary care visit should be a place to talk about every aspect of the child’s changing body and mind.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is advising doctors to wear Pride stickers, display those rainbow symbols in our clinics, announce our own preferred pronouns and ask patients for theirs.