At what age can a Transgendered child be identified?

[katrinaw]

I think many parents ignore or outwardly quell the notion or signs of the young transgendered, not all, and certainly less so today than when I was a kid.

I knew I was really female around 4, noticed the anatomical differences at 5 sharing a bath with my cousin...

I asked a Dr when I was 5, with my mother or grandmother there... "Can I be a girl" was shutdown as he turned, looked past me and said "many young boys want to be girls, but they all grow out of it!" Hmmmmmm 

I can pick these things very quickly, as I have lived them and they affect me, however many parents cannot and do not because they are not transgendered in any way.... or have been brought up no acceptance of such issues!

It certainly is dependent on society, understanding, and, I also think, care and acceptance of the child's well being above all else... Unfortunately, still today, "face" comes into it a lot... and I love and admire those that put all of that aside and provide the love, support and care to their offspring.

Katy xx

[JoanneB]

BTW - My wife found some show on Netflix I believe called "Taboo". The did an episode on trans and gender. THere are places besides Thailand that accept trans folks. Another where they are openly accepted, even encouraged, was I think Samoa or thereabouts. There kids are picked or show themselves as trans at a very young age, both male and female.

[Laura_7]

BTW - My wife found some show on Netflix I believe called "Taboo". The did an episode on trans and gender. THere are places besides Thailand that accept trans folks. Another where they are openly accepted, even encouraged, was I think Samoa or thereabouts. There kids are picked or show themselves as trans at a very young age, both male and female.

Yes.
Some indigenous people pick them at a young age and some of them are given roles as go-betweens because its believed they have an understanding of both genders.


hugs

[noleen111]

ok, so I am real late bloomer. I only realized that I was female at the age of 19...

but as a small child, i was kinda jealous of the girls, they got to wear pretty dresses and I did wonder what it was like to wear a dress. As teenager these feelings grew and was jealous of the girls, they were getting breasts and curves. I started experimenting by wearing pantyhose and panties and wrapping towels around my waist to create a "dress".

It was at the age of 19, did i begin to explore these feelings.

[Martine A.]

Thanks for the topic.

So I'm on the spot. I began identifying in kindergarten. That was quickly answered by bullying by girls, for prying in 'their stuff', and by boys, so I man up or else. It was kind of bullying I ended up with a broken arm and being drowned. Of course I kept my mouth shut through elementary school, high school, and even after I left parents' home.

But the thing is, I myself didn't know there was name for my condition until I was 28. And I didn't know about HRT until I was 29. I'm 32 now and living it as full as I can. Once full time is possible (work), I will be glad to begin hrt.

The bottom line is, I began identifying in kidergarten (about age 6) and I was at age 8 when I first time borrowed my mom's dress.

[Sharon Anne McC]

*

I know that I was at least as young as age 3.  I have memories of a children's TV show when they were teaching dates and calendars; those earliest dates were during 1959.

My sister is two years older.  I had regular access to my sister's attire since earliest childhood; we wore the same size until I was age 21.  I wore her clothes against my father's wishes. 

I was insistent to my family all during my life; I made frequent arguments and outbursts, 'I AM a girl!' ('feminine protesting' was the label).  I could not articulate my identity using adult terms during my youngest years.

School allowed me to use either the girl's room or boy's room through 1st Grade.

Maybe all those adults expected I would grow out of it - whatever they thought 'it' was.  Nope.

My perspective is that the true child, not the experimenter child, knows and persists throughout their life growing up.  The parents must become concerned and must take an interest in their child.  The medical community must help; if medical opportunities had been available during my era as they are nowadays, then I surely would have demanded them - without regrets.

*

[Devlyn]

It was 46 for me! 

Hugs, Devlyn

[Tessa James]

This is fascinating to read and so important to understand how critical cultural acceptance is to living a "normal" life whatever our gender identity is.

I have almost no recall of early childhood but my old sister saw me as her sister at age 3 and my older brother tried to get me not to play with her as Tessa or I really would become a girl.  While that was apparently a dreadful consequence to him I thought it was just great and was hugely disappointed in how wrong he was.

Like so many growing up in the 50s or 60s, life did not include any useful information about human sexuality or gender identity.  There were no words, just the secret conviction that I would magically become a girl and mom.

Even in the early 80s when i saw psych people about knowing I was not a man they concluded that I must just be a very gay bottom in denial.  Still only half right

What a different life we may have had if we had known that acceptance and integration of diversity the Thai people and others experience?  This is one reason I will continue to be an out activist and encourage the broader culture around us to acknowledge our reality and value our experience.  How fun to imagine that better world....

[cheryl reeves]

My dad recognized I was different at age 3 and knew I would have problems when I got older so he tried to make me strong too endure. In the late 70s they had some documaries on gender and transexualism and we would watch them. I kept my gender disphoria to myself also because I liked girls and that would have confused them more, besides after 45 yrs I've gotten used too being different. I know I'm a woman I even look like one when fully shaved and not pretending to be male. A lot of us grew up in a time that being trans was the worst thing a person could go through,being homosexual or lesbian was becoming more accepted but not trans for we were looked upon as scum. I faced bullies head on and learned too live a gender neutral life.