The invisible body of queer youth: identity and health in the margins of lesbian and trans communities

How does complexity in gender and sexual identity construction and partnering practices generate unique vulnerabilities for queer-identified youth? We present two case studies from an ongoing ethnographic study of LGBTQ youth development: "Samantha," a queer-identified woman partnered with a transgender man, and "Reid," a queer-identified transgender man who has declined medical gender transitioning and who partners with lesbians and gay men. We consider the implications of these youths' locations on the margins of both lesbian and transgender communities and the challenges in providing health care and support services for queer-identified youth.