Transgender Workshop Offered For Union County Parents

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — A free educational presentation, "What Parents Need to Know about Transgender Individuals," is being offered to Union County parents and community members on April 23.

The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the John H. Stamler Police Academy on the Union County Vo-Tech Campus, 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains.

The purpose of the presentation is to help parents and other adults better understand gender identity and transgender issues, and to provide tips on how to speak with children and adolescents about these sensitive topics, as well as addressing any questions or concerns any attendee may have.

The presenter, Dr. Paula C. Rodriguez Rust of Spectrum Diversity, LLC, is a renowned professional diversity educator and bullying prevention consultant serving schools, workplaces, and community and professional groups statewide.

"Parents want to know what to do if a child's classmate is transgender, what to do if his/her own child is transgender," Rodriguez Rust said. "My goal is to help parents better understand what it means to be a transgender person, and how we know if a child is transgender."

The program, is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the Office of the Union County Superintendent of Schools and the Union County Office of LGBTQ Affairs. For more information, please contact Karen Positan, Union County Human Relations Commission, kpositan@ucnj.org or 908-889-9028.

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