Fighting for Their Lives: Understanding Trans and Gender-Diverse Identities

A Q&A with Dr. Morissa Ladinsky

Sunday, September 10, 2023, 4-5:30 p.m. at the Levite Jewish Community Center

Moderated by Southern Jewish Life Associate Editor Richard Friedman

Dr. Morissa Ladinsky is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Understanding trans and gender-diverse identities has become complex. More and more families are encountering the world of gender fluidity. They often are perplexed and even frightened as they strive to navigate unfamiliar terrain. Meanwhile, suicide rates among transitioning teens remain alarmingly high.

No one knows this better than Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-leader of a UAB team that provides gender-affirming care to transgender youth and teens and support to their families. 

During the event, Ladinsky will explain gender transitioning, give an update on the pending Alabama law that would criminalize doctors providing gender-affirming care to minors, and reflect on her work and advocacy from a Jewish perspective.

The program, co-sponsored by the Levite Jewish Community Center and Southern Jewish Life magazine, will be moderated by SJL Associate Editor Richard Friedman, who was honored recently by the American Jewish Press Association for a story he wrote about Ladinsky, her work, and the strength and motivation she draws from her Judaism: “Fighting for their Lives: Jewish Pediatrician in the Middle of Alabama‘s Transgender Battles.

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