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[Alcotholic]

Nationa Geographic's January issue will be about the changing beliefs on gender around the world.
Link to article plus video:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/01/children-explain-how-gender-affects-their-lives/

If you want candid answers about how gender shapes destiny, ask the world’s nine-year-olds.

At nine, a girl in Kenya already knows that her parents will marry her off for a dowry, to a man who may beat her. At nine, a boy in India already knows he’ll be pressured by male pals to sexually harass women in the street.

At nine, youngsters from China to Canada and Kenya to Brazil describe big dreams for future careers—but the boys don’t see their gender as an impediment, while the girls, all too frequently, do.

The children give typical answers really, I find the most insightful part is the reflection of how culture shapes their ideas about gender. I'm glad that it's being challenged. No one should be told what they can or can't do based on their sex and how they feel about their gender. On the other hand, one of the children the feature is a transgender girl named Avery:

Avery began her transition at the age of 5. I can't help but think that when puberty strikes there is going to be a lot of confusion about how she feels about her gender. I could be wrong and she really is confident that she was born the wrong gender, but to make such a life altering decision at the age of 5 seems like a rash decision. I don't know the extent of her transition- I haven't read to much into her case, but if she has undergone surgery at such a young age I would almost call it child abuse.
Maybe TransGaf can educate me on how they felt about their identities as children growing up?

Edit: Some Gaffers have shared their knowledge and experience with transitioning. I have a better understanding of what Avery is going through. I'd still like to read about more stories if any of you have some to shaker

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Kids a lot smarter and more in tune more than anyone ever gives them credit for.

Kids figure out their own sexuality pretty early in their life as well, it's not rare to see people talk about knowing they were gay when they were in the single digit range for age, same for trans.

Now obviously not everyone is like that, which is why you have people coming out later or "figuring it out" later. However, like I said above, it's not all that uncommon.

 

[Alcotholic]

I would be understanding of that at ages 7, 8, or 9. But at 5 years old, I'm really just in awe that a kid can confidently make a call like that.

 

[Nudull]

I'm sure people will react to this with respect and understanding.

 

[Ekai]

Knew pretty early on, like 6/7 I was trans. Really not surprised by this article. And good for her.

 

[Alcotholic]

Knew pretty early on, like 6/7 I was trans. Really not surprised by this article. And good for her.

I'm curious. How did you find out?
What was it like to find out?

 

[Eusis]

They wouldn't do surgery until 18 I'd think, just hormone related stuff before then and only when relevant (puberty.)

I got some mixed up feelings, but I can only say that I realized that it could be something I genuinely wanted rather than fascinated/frightened by the concept when puberty started. Before then I got kind of paranoid that my tastes were girly, but at most probably skewed closer to gender neutral/somewhat masculine.

 

[natsuyasumi]

Avery began her transition at the age of 5. I can't help but think that when puberty strikes there is going to be a lot of confusion about how she feels about her gender.

Doubt it. Trans people are forced to think about the subtleties of gender a shitload more than cis folk. This leads to introspection and processing and working through tough shit; ultimately, we often develop a decent degree of confidence about our lived identities. Yet we are often accused of suffering "gender confusion." It's often quite the opposite.

I could be wrong and she really is confident that she was born the wrong gender, but to make such a life altering decision at the age of 5 seems like a rash decision.

So you know, this is a very common concern troll line of thought that could easily be answered with Google. The reality is that the first medical intervention first-world trans kids who are lucky enough to have supportive parents will see is puberty-delaying drugs. Nothing permanent occurs yet. In the meantime they'll be getting plenty of support and therapy to help them find their path, whatever that ends up being.

What's really fucked is forcing someone to go through a puberty that changes their body in ways that will only cause them distress. For example, trans women: growing taller than other girls, voice deepening, face and skeleton masculinizing,... it's horrible, and this damage is difficult or impossible to fully undo through later medical intervention.

I don't know the extent of her transition- I haven't read to much into her case, but if she has undergone surgery at such a young age I would almost call it child abuse.

She absolutely has not had surgical intervention. The earliest gatekeepers allow that is mid-late teens. Beyond social reasons, trans female bottom surgery would be physically difficult to successfully accomplish on someone with child-size genitals.

Maybe TransGaf can educate me on how they felt about their identities as children growing up?

Like a sensitive, nerdy boy. I was wrong about the last part.

 

[kirblar]

Nothing permanent is done to kids until puberty time- it can get delayed w/ blockers till they're sure which way they're going w/ it. Docs are aware of false positives from other types of gender-non-conforming kids and aren't going to want to rush anything unreversible.

 

[Eusis]

Doubt it. Trans people are forced to think about the subtleties of gender a shitload more than cis folk. This leads to introspection and processing and working through tough shit; ultimately, we often develop a decent degree of confidence about our lived identities. Yet we are often accused of suffering "gender confusion." It's often quite the opposite.

Confusion is probably only really a thing for those who don't quite feel right with the binary and thus try to wrangle where exactly they fit. But that might be projection, and it might be that I'm just an asshole who would like to be as close to 100% sure as possible. Which could be a trap, or I just kind of want a grab bag of aspects and really do see saw depending on my moods and whims at the moment even without externally expressing it. In a conscious manner anyway.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I considered making a thread on this but got distracted and forgot. Glad somebody else did. I have some friends who realized their gender didn't match the one assigned to them at birth from a fairly young age. Most often the case though it seems people are just unaware that you can identify as something other than what you were assumed to be at birth. Like I hear anecdotes such as "I've always felt it but didn't know the proper way to embrace or express it". I've been thinking a lot recently about just how unfair the world is for non-cis (as well as sexually non-heterosexual) people. Like the whole idea of people having to 'come out of the closet' is unfortunate as it implies a person has had to previously deny expressing who they are.

 

[Alcotholic]

Thank you for your responses. It puts these things into a better perspective for me. It's not that I don't support self expression and discovering ones self. I'm not really familiar with kids figuring out they're trans.

 

[Sophia]

The earlier a child transitions, the better. Hormones can block puberty off until they decide, but nothing can completely undo the effects of puberty. And if they do decide they don't want to transition, they won't lose anything out of it.

I'm glad the generation after me largely won't have to suffer like I did.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I'm glad the generation after me largely won't have to suffer like I did.

Many still will, sadly, as there are plenty of parents who would deny their child the opportunity to be who they are. Though yeah, it is nice it's going to improve.

 

[Nudull]

The earlier a child transitions, the better. Hormones can block puberty off until they decide, but nothing can completely undo the effects of puberty. And if they do decide they don't want to transition, they won't lose anything out of it.

I'm glad the generation after me largely won't have to suffer like I did.

Given recent events, I still have plenty of fears of what the coming generations will face. Still, I hold some hope for better things.

 

[Sophia]

Many still will, sadly, as there are plenty of parents who would deny their child the opportunity to be who they are. Though yeah, it is nice it's going to improve.

Yeah. One step at a time, of course. But transgender acceptance is up.

Given recent events, I still have plenty of fears of what the coming generations will face. Still, I hold some hope for better things.

I don't things like a Trump presidency will push things back, culturally. But there's definitely going to be a battle to be fought on it on the legal grounds.

Obamacare was a huge step in the right direction for a lot of transgender folks, myself include. All my medicines are covered >.<;

 

[RainForce]

Yeah, saw that a day or so ago and my Twitter feed kept retweeting a Trans Youtuber who's strongly against any kind of hormone taking or surgery before the age of 18 and found the cover distasteful in a sort of exploitative way.

Not my opinion, just thought it was interesting.

 

[natsuyasumi]

Confusion is probably only really a thing for those who don't quite feel right with the binary and thus try to wrangle where exactly they fit. But that might be projection, and it might be that I'm just an asshole who would like to be as close to 100% sure as possible. Which could be a trap, or I just kind of want a grab bag of aspects and really do see saw depending on my moods and whims at the moment even without externally expressing it. In a conscious manner anyway.

Why would that make you an asshole?

Everyone's trans narrative is different. This is the #1 thing that gender-questioning folk need to internalize. Don't compare yourself to the kid in NatGeo who knew from 4; that's closer to the "standard trans narrative" but that doesn't mean yours has to play out that way, or that yours is somehow invalid.

Like many others I've since met, I actually feared I wasn't "trans enough" because I didn't suffer as much physical dysphoria as some other trans folk seem to. This tripped me up for ages.

I also felt estranged from my emotional side, seeing myself mostly as a being of intellect... like a robot, with a flat affect. Since I didn't feel I could trust my emotions I sought to be as intellectually "sure" as possible that my cross-gender feelings were worth acting upon. I ended up delaying HRT for two years, unfortunately.

After two years and lots of therapy I ran out of thought experiments to loop and still felt fucked re: gender; I could not imagine a viable future as a guy, but I was afraid to transition since I seemed to be different from all those "default narrative" folks. The constant thinking was driving me nuts so I needed to do something real; I started HRT, intended to stop and assess after one month. While not even that gave me the 100% surety I sought, I also didn't want to stop. So I didn't, and I've been transing it up ever since. Been a decade now.

Here's a magical thing I'm still trying to fully internalize: You can be whoever you want. There are no rules. It doesn't matter if you don't fit perfectly in the box marked "trans woman" or whatever identity you're comparing yourself to. Your identity and gender expression are entirely your own and what that means is up to you. It can be incredibly exciting and liberating when you realize this.

 

[Betty]

I think anyone should be able to identify as whatever but I find it hard to believe kids can make such life altering decisions when people in their late 20's and beyond are struggling to figure out their identities and decide who and what they want to be.

Sure some know early on who they are inside and that's great but i'd prefer if kids worried more about just being kids and having fun than what they identify as. Especially because puberty can alter a person's feelings and opinions on a variety of things.

For young people that want to be trans it's good there's more acceptance than there was before.

 

[Eusis]

Why would that make you an asshole?

Oh, more the constant questioning and "are you sure?" sort of mentality. I've annoyed people with that on other topics entirely, though this is internally focused primarily so it would be only being an asshole to myself and probably just rambling to everyone else.

(And I'll read the rest of your post now, but I wanted to clarify that it was more a personality quirk, not trans-specific.)

 

[natsuyasumi]

Sure some know early on who they are inside and that's great but i'd prefer if kids worried more about just being kids and having fun than what they identify as. Especially because puberty can alter a person's feelings and opinions on a variety of things.

You're saying potential trans kids should be forced to go through their biological puberty just in case that sets them straight. And it's OK that the ones who are indeed trans will suffer incredible physical and emotional damage in the process.

That's messed up. Moreover, I covered this stuff in my first reply.

 

[RainForce]

Deleted link

 

[John Kowalski]

Love the cover

 

[Betty]

You're saying potential trans kids should be forced to go through their biological puberty just in case that sets them straight. And it's OK that the ones who are indeed trans will suffer incredible physical and emotional damage in the process.

That's messed up. Moreover, I covered this stuff in my first reply.

I'm not really sure what you're saying, how do they not go through puberty? Do you mean giving them treatment that will make them go through puberty of the gender they want to identify as?

Isn't that just as harmful later on if they decide they no longer want to be trans?

Again i'm not against kids identifying as whatever they want but as people we still make decisions we either change our mind on or regret late into our adult life.

Making definitive changes to someone's body at such a young age can also have negative repercussions.

But again, if it's what the kid wants and they're absolutely sure and the parents and everyone involved are fine with letting the child make a choice to have treatments to delay puberty or alter their gender decisively and carry the consequences if they should later change their mind, then fine, that's entirely fine.

 

[Eusis]

(And I'll read the rest of your post now, but I wanted to clarify that it was more a personality quirk, not trans-specific.)

Ok, read. Honestly that sounds closer to me, and inversely as I actually have been diagnosed with hypogonadism I decided to go ahead and get a prescription on TRT to see how that made me feel. That hasn't been extremely unpleasant, but I have been more irritable and a bit hornier than I'd like. But higher estradiol threw a wrench in there, and since I asked to be dropped down to 100 mg injections every two weeks rather than 200 mg every two weeks only for the attendant to mess up and do a full 200 mg injection I haven't been able to get another injection over the last week and have felt more... normal. That's probably saying a lot, but I do want to see how things shake out without an estradiol spike too.

You're saying potential trans kids should be forced to go through their biological puberty just in case that sets them straight. And it's OK that the ones who are indeed trans will suffer incredible physical and emotional damage in the process.

For those who really can't take being their assigned sex it can definitely fuck with their heads badly once the first signs show up. For those who aren't hit as badly I wouldn't be surprised if it set some flags off for those that were happy with how things lined up pre-puberty.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Curious, do you feel this woman is way off base here? Genuinely asking, I'd like to learn more about this and that's my only exposure to the subject, and I'm getting conflicting articles on it.

 

[RainForce]

Oh wow, I didn't look at the other videos on her channel as I just got linked on Twitter. Guess she's self-hating?

Yeah, nevermind.

Edit: Huh, apparently she hangs around straight up Neo-Nazis and is seen as a pretty harmful Uncle Tom in the trans community. Damn, she didn't seem hateful in the video I linked.

 

[Misha]

IMost often the case though it seems people are just unaware that you can identify as something other than what you were assumed to be at birth. Like I hear anecdotes such as "I've always felt it but didn't know the proper way to embrace or express it".

Yup. It's kinda weird when you realize it how everything gets put in context. And also how blatantly obvious it should have been but you just didn't have the vocabulary for it.

As early as 4/5 I have memories that indicated something and as I gained more independence and self expression it really started to come together.

I don't have an issue with the fact that I had to figure it out mostly on my own but man it's depressing to realize that everyone else wants to tell you who you are

 

[Mimosa97]

^^ So she's basically a hot female version of Mylo ?

Ugh ...

 

[Sophia]

I'm not really sure what you're saying, how do they not go through puberty? Do you mean giving them treatment that will make them go through puberty of the gender they want to identify as?

Isn't that just as harmful later on if they decide they no longer want to be trans?

Again i'm not against kids identifying as whatever they want but as people we still make decisions we either change our mind on or regret late into our adult life.

Making definitive changes to someone's body at such a young age can also have negative repercussions.

But again, if it's what the kid wants and they're absolutely sure and the parents and everyone involved are fine with letting the child make a choice to have treatments to delay puberty or alter their gender decisively and carry the consequences if they should later change their mind, then fine, that's entirely fine.

Just so we're clear, there's almost no harm with using testosterone or estrogen blockers before puberty starts to delay it by a few years. As long as puberty isn't delayed significantly, the effects can be reversed very easily.

On the other hand, the effects of puberty are not easily reversed. Some of them borderline on impossible, as I mentioned earlier.

Letting the child have a choice and working it out with them is a much more ideal solution then forcing them to go through puberty. Dysphoria increasing due to the effects of puberty is real, and very dangerous mentally.

 

[Azoor]

That's an issue that would be unfortunately banned where I live.

 

[Betty]

Just so we're clear, there's almost no harm with using testosterone or estrogen blockers before puberty starts to delay it by a few years. As long as puberty isn't delayed significantly, the effects can be reversed very easily.

On the other hand, the effects of puberty are not easily reversed. Some of them borderline on impossible.

Okay then blocking puberty for a few years seems fine.

Surgeries and treatments that will alter a child in ways that are not so easily reversed is where I have issues, but that's just me, if a child and the parents want to do it anyway they should be allowed.

It's just that kids don't make the best decision makers, especially when it comes to themselves.

Whether it's eating the right things, spending pocket money on sensible items, wearing the appropriate clothing in bad weather, handling arguments or heated moments maturely, and on and on.

I find it tough to agree that body altering treatments should be done to a child just because it's what they want, I feel they're too young to make that life changing choice and should wait until they have more maturity and knowledge about themselves and life.

So puberty blocking until that decision can be made seems fine.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Heh. Looks like one those 'not your shield' people during Gamergate who acted as a shield (or perhaps sword may be more apt), mostly to profit off bigots who can point to it and say 'see, this person is part of the group and they agree with me!'

 

[PillarEN]

Pretty interesting this is an actual issue considering National Geographic is under the rule of Rupert Murdoch.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Nobody is talking about body-changing surgeries on the kid. Nothing in this article said anything about that

 

[aygomyownroad]

Access to the internet has in many ways accelerated all of this.

Before as a child you would be unable to understand what is going on until puberty or sex ed in school and even then it may take a while to understand why you are different. Now with the internet you can learn a lot quicker about how everything works and that you are not alone.

5 years old tho is a bit of a stretch. My niece was heavily in to cars and other boys toys. She is now in to more girly things, fair play to her but I think she is too young to make such a life changing decision. I wonder how much the parents have pushed her. At 5 my parents would have laughed that off!

 

[Sophia]

Okay then blocking puberty for a few years seems fine.

Surgeries and treatments that will alter a child in ways that are not so easily reversed is where I have issues, but that's just me, if a child and the parents want to do it anyway they should be allowed.

It's just that kids don't make the best decision makers, especially when it comes to themselves.

Whether it's eating the right things, spending pocket money on sensible items, wearing the appropriate clothing in bad weather, handling arguments or heated moments maturely, and on and on.

I find it tough to agree that body altering treatments should be done to a child just because it's what they want, I feel they're too young to make that life changing choice and should wait until they have more maturity and knowledge about themselves and life.

So puberty blocking until that decision can be made seems fine.

Ideally, this is why we need strong networks ready for these children. Mental health professionals trained, and parents who are willing to support their children either way.

We have the tools to give them a choice. We just need to present it to them, and help them make the right choice.

But yes, blockers and stuff can easily be reversed. Even hormones don't carry entirely permanent effects. The truly irreversible stuff comes after being on hormones for a few years.

Related, but surgeries aren't usually given out freely either. Even for transgender adults, they require at least a year of living as the opposite gender, and many require at least approval letters from two trained therapists. The requirements are stricter for children too, I believe.

Access to the internet has in many ways accelerated all of this.

Before as a child you would be unable to understand what is going on until puberty or sex ed in school and even then it may take a while to understand why you are different. Now with the internet you can learn a lot quicker about how everything works and that you are not alone.

5 years old tho is a bit of a stretch. My niece was heavily in to cars and other boys toys. She is now in to more girly things, fair play to her but I think she is too young to make such a life changing decision. I wonder how much the parents have pushed her. At 5 my parents would have laughed that off!

Yeah. For me, the feelings were always there, but it was getting the internet around the time I was 10 that truly opened up my understanding of it. I knew then what I wanted, and what I perceived I could never have. Which led to my attempted suicide...

 

[Media]

My oldest son is 13 and has always been feminine. He completely embraces his girly side, calls himself a Tomgirl, paints nails with his little sister and his favorite color is pink. At the same time he loves being male, stands up to every bully he can, but only in defense of others. Kids at school call him a fag and he brushes it off. He says he's bi, and crushes on male actors as much as female actors.

I never encouraged or promoted this behavior in him, so I've seen first hand that gender is not as black and white as people like to believe. I'm of course completely supportive of him, and was so damned proud when he came home from school one day ranting about sex ed teaching stupid gender stereotypes. "According to them, I'm a girl, which is bullshit. Girls and boys can like whatever they want." He said.

He's a great kid and he's going to do great things in his life. A true two spirit.

 

[KRod-57]

Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman did an excellent episode on sexes. I highly recommend giving it a watch, they not only touched on the science of genders, but also explained the concept of there being more than two sexes. (season 7, episode 3)

About midway through the episode they explained how testosterone and DHT were a critical part of male development, which I think adds some merit to the OP's speculation that the transgender girl's perception of her identity could change at puberty. Of course each individual is different, so we really can't predict what the future holds for Avery.

I think above all we need to treat people as the owner of themselves and the ultimate decider of their destiny, but I can also completely understand the hesitance one would feel about someone going through that transition at such a young age

 

[RM8]

I don't see a reason to not side with the medical, scientific consensus. Gender dysphoria, therapy, these are not quack theories, but medical terms. Precisely because it's hard to understand, we should try to be more empathetic with trans people. Plus I honestly didn't know early hormonal therapy was easily reversible, I guess it's really not an issue at all (well, a social one, sadly).

 

[Betty]

Ideally, this is why we need strong networks ready for these children. Mental health professionals trained, and parents who are willing to support their children either way.

We have the tools to give them a choice. We just need to present it to them, and help them make the right choice.

But yes, blockers and stuff can easily be reversed. Even hormones don't carry entirely permanent effects. The truly irreversible stuff comes after being on hormones for a few years.

Related, but surgeries aren't usually given out freely either. Even for transgender adults, they require at least a year of living as the opposite gender, and many require at least approval letters from two trained therapists. The requirements are stricter for children too, I believe.

Great, seems very reasonable.

 

[natsuyasumi]

Concerned cis people of NeoGAF: Please stop pretending irreversible sex-altering treatments are being performed on impressionable minors. You've been repeatedly informed that they're not. Going on and on about this thing that doesn't happen is effectively concern trolling.

Also try to understand that forcing a trans-identifying person to go through wrong-sex puberty is a life-altering event with very negative consequences.

Media, your kid sounds awesome.

 

[Jake.]

yes, blockers and stuff can easily be reversed

uh...easily reversed?

 

[Betty]

Concerned cis people of NeoGAF: Please stop pretending irreversible sex-altering treatments are being performed on impressionable minors. You've been repeatedly informed that they're not. Going on and on about this thing that doesn't happen is effectively concern trolling.

Also try to understand that forcing a trans-identifying person to go through wrong-sex puberty is a life-altering event with very negative consequences.

Media, your kid sounds awesome.

This is really new to me, I honestly didn't really know that there was so much involved with a kid wanting to identify as the opposite gender.

And I'll 'concern troll' all day if it means a dialogue can happen where all parties are educated and peace of mind can be achieved. Obviously I just want what's best for the kids so making sure that's what they get should be paramount.

 

[KRod-57]

I don't see a reason to not side with the medical, scientific consensus. Gender dysphoria, therapy, these are not quack theories, but medical terms. Precisely because it's hard to understand, we should try to be more empathetic with trans people. Plus I honestly didn't know early hormonal therapy was easily reversible, I guess it's really not an issue at all (well, a social one, sadly).

I'm not super well versed on the subject, but I try to understand the science of the matter as best as I can. To my best understanding, hormone therapy at that age would not be necessary. There is actually little difference between male and female biology before puberty, it isn't till after puberty that the two become especially distinguishable

 

[natsuyasumi]

This is really new to me, I honestly didn't really know that there was so much involved with a kid wanting to identify as the opposite gender.

My post wasn't aimed at you or anyone specific. Btw, I saw someone else answered your earlier questions so I didn't see the need to.

And I'll 'concern troll' all day if it means a dialogue can happen where all parties are educated and peace of mind can be achieved.

Are you sure we're talking about the same thing? How is a dialogue where trans people are answering questions and then having those answers ignored by the next posters -- who post the same old debunked concerns -- a good dialogue? That's the dynamic I was criticizing.

 

[Sophia]

uh...easily reversed?

For hormone blockers, yes. You just stop taking them. At least that's what my endocrinologist and therapist both said.

The effects of hormones are harder to reverse, but not impossible. For estrogen some breast growth is un-reversible depending on how long you've been on them. Sperm count usually restores itself except in rare cases.

My oldest son is 13 and has always been feminine. He completely embraces his girly side, calls himself a Tomgirl, paints nails with his little sister and his favorite color is pink. At the same time he loves being male, stands up to every bully he can, but only in defense of others. Kids at school call him a fag and he brushes it off. He says he's bi, and crushes on male actors as much as female actors.

I never encouraged or promoted this behavior in him, so I've seen first hand that gender is not as black and white as people like to believe. I'm of course completely supportive of him, and was so damned proud when he came home from school one day ranting about sex ed teaching stupid gender stereotypes. "According to them, I'm a girl, which is bullshit. Girls and boys can like whatever they want." He said.

He's a great kid and he's going to do great things in his life. A true two spirit.

Concerned cis people of NeoGAF: Please stop pretending irreversible sex-altering treatments are being performed on impressionable minors. You've been repeatedly informed that they're not. Going on and on about this thing that doesn't happen is effectively concern trolling.

Also try to understand that forcing a trans-identifying person to go through wrong-sex puberty is a life-altering event with very negative consequences.

Media, your kid sounds awesome.

The WPATH Standards of Care actually has an entire section on Gender Nonconformity (which describes Media's son) and how it's different from Gender Dysphoria.

There's also a section dedicated to treating Gender Dysphoria in children, and the additional steps that need to be taken. It's very detailed, and I urge that people check it out if they have any questions about the process.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

uh...easily reversed?

Yes, considering the basic concept behind blockers is you're blocking hormones, not removing the ability to produce them.

I feel like there is some type of conception people just go out and declare they are trans and "poof" or something, all done no take backs.

Shit is complicated and it takes a good amount of time with doctors and therapists to get to root causes and provide a proper course of action for what ever the situation is.

Obviously people can take self action in expressing theirselves, but that's a far cry from all the actual medical side that comes with this topic.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

Thank you for your responses. It puts these things into a better perspective for me. It's not that I don't support self expression and discovering ones self. I'm not really familiar with kids figuring out they're trans.

Look at you, trying to educate yourself and shit. Being a better person and shit. Probably got trolls quaking in their boots, calling their moms asking her if her refrigerator is running

 

[Deleted member 20920]

My oldest son is 13 and has always been feminine. He completely embraces his girly side, calls himself a Tomgirl, paints nails with his little sister and his favorite color is pink. At the same time he loves being male, stands up to every bully he can, but only in defense of others. Kids at school call him a fag and he brushes it off. He says he's bi, and crushes on male actors as much as female actors.

I never encouraged or promoted this behavior in him, so I've seen first hand that gender is not as black and white as people like to believe. I'm of course completely supportive of him, and was so damned proud when he came home from school one day ranting about sex ed teaching stupid gender stereotypes. "According to them, I'm a girl, which is bullshit. Girls and boys can like whatever they want." He said.

He's a great kid and he's going to do great things in his life. A true two spirit.

You're a wonderful parent.

Is this issue already out on the newsstand?