Hosted by the Midwest Child Advocacy Center- Brief overview:  Changes in the visibility of trans and gender diverse people in the last 3-5 years have dramatically changed the landscape for our community from a tiny minority to a visible stakeholder group globally. While youth feel empowered to embrace authenticity in their gender identities in an unprecedented way, trans youth face many challenges, including inconsistent family support, lack of access to resources and healthcare, discriminatory laws, and peer and institutional victimization. This leads to many harms for trans youth, including substantially increased risks of suicide, homelessness, commercial sexual exploitation, and substance abuse. Outgoing Vice President Biden has gone as far as to call transgender rights the "civil rights issue of our time." As leaders in service to at-risk youth, Children's Advocacy Centers have unique opportunities to be at the vanguard of supporting these youth and their families, and in doing so, may create safer, more nurturing communities for all youth. This talk explores trans and gender diverse identities in youth, challenges, barriers, and risks trans youth face, and approaches to best practice in enhancing service to this population.