Speaking with the Parents of Transgender Youthhttps://www.susans.org/2015/02/12/speaking-with-the-parents-of-transgender-youth/By Suzi Chase on February 12th, 2015
Unfortunately, for the trans* community our young are usually someone else's children. If the child is lucky, when parents learn they have a transgender or gender variant child, they do careful research. They learn it's not necessarily something the child can help. They see the child's very nature driving the behavior, and they nurture the whole person and help reconcile the world's expectations with the demands of gender identity.
If the child is unlucky, however, they are born to a household is frightened of the changes. Such children face efforts to "fix" their gender and force them to conform to expectations. The outlook for them is bleak. Studies find their rate of suicide far higher than those lucky enough to be supported by their parents. Children whose parents do not accept their gender, struggle to find allies, and find themselves torn between their own reality and their family's demands.
It is up to the transgender community to reach these parents. Only we truly understand the damage. It's tempting to turn away. The task is daunting. We're dealing with parents not only whose knowledge of us are limited, but often whose cultural and religious background are openly hostile to our claiming our identities.
But we must try. It really is up to us. No one else will rescue these children.
