Laura Erickson-Schroth
“The two aspects of my work I love the most are connecting with young people and creating resources that impact people’s lives,” says Laura Erickson-Schroth. A psychiatrist, author, and researcher committed to improving mental health in the LGBTQ+ community, Erickson-Schroth is now Chief Medical Officer at The Jed Foundation, a non-profit that partners with high schools and colleges to prevent suicide and protect emotional health among young people, and which previously provided mental health support and crisis intervention to thousands of patients in over 10 emergency rooms in New York City. She continues to see clients at Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBTQIA+ Youth. “I’ve spent time with hundreds of young queer and trans people as they navigate their identities and relationships,” she tells GO, “and I’ve seen them change and grow into the adults they want to be.” Erickson-Schroth, who uses she/they pronouns, has co-authored the books Gender: What Everyone Needs to Know and “You’re in the Wrong Bathroom,” and 20 Other Myths and Misconceptions about Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People. They also edited the resource guide Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, which she describes as “a one-stop shop for anyone looking to learn about trans identities,” and which was republished in April with new essays and art as well as updated information on medical and legal issues. An avid reader, Erickson-Schroth “[owes] the public library, both NYPL and Brooklyn, a lot of money,” they confess. “Even though they’ve done away with fines, sometimes I keep books long enough that they think I’ve lost them. As my mother likes to say, my eyes are bigger than my stomach.” –LE
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