New transgender health group created

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A new group has been created for transgender people.

Delegates at the country's first Trans Health Symposium voted unanimously to create the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa.

More than 200 health professionals and members of transgender communities attended the event at the University of Waikato earlier this month.

The inaugural President of the group will be the University of Waikato senior lecturer in psychology Dr Jaimie Veale.

The event included overviews of two large University of Waikato research projects: the Honour Project Aotearoa and the Counting Ourselves survey.

Other presentations focused on ways to address barriers to gender affirming care and mental health support around the Aotearoa, including through Māori and Pasifika community-led health initiatives (FINE and Gender Minorities Aotearoa), and by working with children, youth and their whānau.