Meet the Research Team

The Maryland Trans Survey project would not have been possible without the amazing trans team of researchers, research consultants, and local community member consultants.

  • Faculty Principal Researcher 
    M. Paz Galupo, Ph.D. (She / They) is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Queer-Trans Collective for Research on Equity & Wellness (QT-CREW) at Towson University. Paz currently holds a Wilson H. Elkins Professorship from the University of Maryland System which provides the funding for this study. Paz serves as Editor for the APA journal, Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity and Associate Editor for the International Journal of Transgender Health, the official journal for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Paz also serves on the APA Task Force charged with updating the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Diverse Persons.

  • Lead Researcher and Research Coordinator

    M. Son Taylor (they/them) is a Master’s Counseling student at Towson University. They earned a Bachelors of Science at Towson University in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Their activism, research, and clinical work focuses on LGBTQ+ specific challenges and resilience through an intersectional and ethno psychological lens. 

  • Principal Consultant

    Mx. Lee Blinder (they/them) is the founding executive director of Trans Maryland, and a co-founder of the Maryland Trans Resilience Conference. Lee is the policy chair for the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs, and they sit on LGBTQIA+ advisory boards around the state. They are an openly nonbinary transgender and queer Marylander. They facilitate transgender 101 and gender affirming workplace training for government, medical organizations, and private companies, in addition to leading Trans Maryland's peer to peer name and gender marker change program. Mx. Blinder is also a member of the Maryland Judiciary's LGBTQ+ workgroup. They have worked in service to their community for 26 years, helping launch the GSA at Montgomery Blair High School in 1996. They enjoy spending time with their adopted animal companions, their cat Basil Pasta Marinara and their dog Cupcake.

  • Research Consultant

    Chloe Goldbach (she/her/hers), MS, MA, is a PhD candidate in Counseling Psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and a current doctoral psychology intern at the University of Maryland Counseling Center. She earned a Master of Arts in Psychology from SIUC, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and Master in Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida. Chloe has published over 10 peer reviewed articles, encyclopedia entries, and professional papers, all related to issues impacting LGBTQ+ individuals. She has delivered over 40 presentations at international, national, and local conferences, training workshops, and professional meetings. She is currently conducting research on barriers to healthcare access for transgender and non-binary people, experiences of LGBTQ+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic, trans and nonbinary people’s experiencs of gender dysphoria, and athlete attitudes regarding participation of trans athletes in intercollegiate sport. 

  • Research Consultant

    M Pease (they/she) is a doctoral student in counseling psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. They received their Bachelor of Science at UMD in psychology with high honors and with minors in Asian American studies and public leadership. Her research interests broadly include race, gender, and sexuality and how systems and experiences of oppression contribute to mental health disparities, especially for LGBTQ+ and Asian American communities. They are also interested in ways to bridge psychological science with advocacy and activism efforts that tangibly improve conditions for marginalized communities toward social justice and equity.

  • Research Consultant

    Louis Lindley (he/him/his) is a counseling psychology doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests broadly include gender minority stress, sexuality, and substance use. Currently, he is developing a free online webapp to improve coping skills and reduce the impact of gender dysphoria for trans and nonbinary individuals.

  • Community Member

    Isaiah Lawrence (he/him/his) is a trans health navigator, community health worker, and an outreach expert, who is passionate about uplifting the intersections of Black and trans lived experience. He works directly with trans masculine youth from Maryland, providing them (and their parents) with resources and connections to community and gender affirming care. He facilitates several trans peer support groups, for Marylanders, youth, and Black trans-masculine folks. Additionally, he has mentored Black trans-masculine folks across the US.

  • Community Member Consultant

    Jamie Grace (she/they) is a Black Trans organizer & advocate with a focus on local LGBT Policy. In the past, she was part of the successful legislative campaigns to end the panic defense & allow for self-selection of gender markers on MD state IDs. She eats anti-trans bills for breakfast & at night she plays in a band.

  • Community Member Consultant