Zander Keig and transgender people

Zander Keig is an American licensed clinical social worker and transgender activist.

Keig is involved in several organizations that hold conservative political views on trans issues, including Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism, Institute for Liberal Values, Therapy First, and Prohuman Foundation.

Background

Zander Keig was reportedly delivered prematurely in July 1966. According to Keig, “my mother was told I was dead when I was in the womb. They were taking me out to dispose of me, and I had a faint heartbeat.” According to a biography on TAVA, Keig grew up in southern California in a Roman Catholic family. At age six, Keig reportedly got encephalitis and required extensive rehabilitation.

Keig has described involvement as an adolescent in a Mexican gang and stealing a car. Keig reportedly spent one year in a psychiatric hospital, then two years in a group home. Keig dropped out after attending an alternative school. Keig then moved from California to Utah. Rohrer said Keig was a “former gang member, mental patient and undercover cop.”

After serving in the Coast Guard as a maritime firefighter and EMT stationed in San Diego, Keig reportedly worked many jobs, including as an undercover narcotics agent, vegetarian restaurant cook, and natural food grocery store clerk.

Keig began an 8-year gender transition at age 30.

Keig earned a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1999, followed by three master’s degrees (Nova Southeastern University in 2003, Pacific School of Religion in 2004, and San Diego State University in 2012). Keig worked at the Job Corps, then worked in veteran’s employment services at the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Keig also worked as a social worker at the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration.

From 2016 to 2019, Keig helped develop the Navy Medicine West Regional Transgender Care Team that served active-duty servicemembers. Keig was named California Social Worker of the Year in 2018 and National Social Worker of the Year in 2020 by the National Association of Social Workers.

Activism

Keig serves on the board for conservative organization Institute for Liberal Values and frequently appears in media to discuss topics from a conservative transgender perspective.

Media

Publications

Letters for My Brothers: Transitional Wisdom in Retrospect [2010] (co-editor) ISBN 9780982497319
Manning Up: Transsexual Men on Finding Brotherhood, Family & Themselves [2014] (co-editor) ASIN B00KKROTYG
Adult Transgender Care – An Interdisciplinary Approach for Training Mental Health Professionals [2018] (foreword) ISBN 9781138229037
You and Your Gender Identity – A Guide to Discovery [2017] (foreword) ISBN: 9781510723054
The Third Space: A Nonconformist’s Guide to the Universe [2024] ASIN: B0D1R7JMML

Video

Critical Therapy Antidote (August 13, 2023). On the Complex Nature of Transgenderism | with Zander Keig – S2E4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT1SPSDNv3c

Aaron Kimberly and Aaron Terrell (March 5, 2023). EP59 – Internalizing/externalizing GNC – With Zander Keig. Transparency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGl8SekL5QM

Stephanie Winn (January 2, 2023). Trans Mental Health with Zander Keig, LCSW. Some Kind of Therapist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI94jXoAFQs

Buck Angel (July 7, 2022). Transsexual Elders Talk Trans Politics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei79Q5q3UIQ

Benjamin Boyce (June 3, 2022) When Transition Works | with Zander Keig. Calmbersations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd969V-lEyc

FAIR (February 23, 2022). Zander Keig on ‘Gender Dysphoria Isn’t Why I Transitioned’ – Mini Clip from FAIR Perspectives Ep. 6.
Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLI9rSZcfhc

FAIR (November 2, 2022). Zander Keig: How To Deal With Hatred. Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhIUyI4FgH8

FAIR (August 17, 2022) Zander Keig: There Is a Diversity of Thought in the Trans Community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxAGYvXLo2o

Paul Elam (October 21, 2015). Zander Keig: Here’s Your Male Privilege. A Voice For Men https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI94jXoAFQs

References

Rohrer, Megan (2013). Zanderology. http://auralstories.blogspot.com/p/zanderology.html

Note: Documentarian Megan Rohrer stated that Keig “was repeatedly suspended until he eventually dropped out of high school.” Keig has stated this is not correct.

Staff report (December 7, 2021). Caregiver Identity: An Interview With Expert, Zander Keig. caregiving.com https://www.caregiving.com/content/a-conversation-with-zander-keig