Comments | gsa_lj: Parents talk about transgender child's transition

tko_ak in gsa_lj

Parents talk about transgender child's transition

Feb 23, 2008 13:51

At three, their three-year-old daughter told them that she felt like a boy. Now, he's 13, and his parents are speaking out about being parents of a child in transition. They resisted at first (which I'm sure is common), but finally encouraged their kid to live as a male. Fortunately, he hasn't faced any harassment in school over it. Do you think ( Read more... )

transition, parents

Comments 7

jarsofwind February 23 2008, 21:06:36 UTC

I like seeing articles like this one, especially after what happened to Lawrence King. It feels good to know that Andy's parents are supportive, and that steps are being taken to improve education and safety for transgendered students and teachers.

tko_ak February 23 2008, 21:08:22 UTC

Yeah. Reforms don't happen over night, but at least we're on the right path.

And it gave me an excuse t create a new tag. How "transition" hadn't come up before, I'm not sure.

(The comment has been removed)

tko_ak February 23 2008, 23:53:03 UTC

I think 3-year-olds know the difference if they've been exposed to the opposite sex. I know I played with girls at my baby sitter's, at that age. I think kids can recognize gender roles...the clothes they wear, the toys they play with, how adults interact with them (if a girl cries, they console her, if a boy does, they tell him that boys don't cry, etc.).

consortofvenus February 26 2008, 21:48:55 UTC

Well, it's all about having a feeling and interpreting it. "Most" is the keyword here. Being in the wrong body, I imagine, could give the intellect a boost as can most issues that affect us deeply.

ghost_of_onyx February 25 2008, 00:47:49 UTC

Thanks for bringing this article to our attention.

Do you think that's likely to change as the kids get older?
If the kid is taking hormones (especially at such a young age), he'll likely be perceived as a non-trans male by the time he's 14 or 15. (Testosterone is powerful that way. Many trans males "pass" completely after a year or so.) However, this will create a new set of problems for him, namely what to do if/when people "find out the truth," i.e. that he's not really cismale. In that case, yeah, I could see the harassment increasing as he gets older. Sadly enough, people often feel duped over these kinds of things ("You were really a girl? What?").

step6error February 27 2008, 21:44:46 UTC

Stories like this make me smile inside. I wish more people could be this understanding! Good job, parents.

tko_ak February 27 2008, 21:59:50 UTC

Indeed.

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