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LGBT children

This board is primarily for parents of LGBTQ+ children to share personal experiences and advice. Others are welcome to post but please be respectful that this is a supportive space.

My child has come out as transgender

28 replies

Laughlaughlaughcry · 16/12/2020 12:36

My 16 year old has come out as trans, she is MtF.
How can I best support her?
How do I handle this with family at Christmas?
I would take her shopping but we are in tier 3 and self isolating pre Christmas, and her clothes are pretty androgynous anyway.
Do I have to speak to doctor to change her name?
Is there anything important I should know?

OP posts:
Nowayhozay · 16/12/2020 15:04

I am pleased to hear that she was able to come out to you and that you are able to be so supportive.
I think maybe you both need to take a breath and think carefully about moving forward.
Do you really need to tell family just yet? It might be easier for you both to come terms with this before you begin sharing the news.
I dont think you should do anything like contact her GP or think about name changes etc just yet.
If she seems happy and is coping with life then there is no rush here.
Who else lives in your household?
It would be nice if you were able to get her some clothes and maybe use a preferred name at home, I'm sure that would be lovely for her and would make her feel that she is be taken seriously and also has your support.
My own ds is non conforming as far as gender goes, although he has never expressed a desire to actually be a girl.
Good luck with this

LongPauseNoAnswer · 16/12/2020 15:10

My DD did similar at that age. We just said "that's nice dear" and called her what she wanted, got her hair cut short and left her to it. We refused to anything "official" like going to the doctor, officially changing names etc. and allow her to wear a (frankly harmful) binder until she had lived as a boy for a year to give her time to settle in. It lasted 6 months before she moved on to something else.

Be supportive to her without doing anything that is irreversible or official to give her time to really decide if this is the path she wants to take. There has been a gigantic leap in teenagers saying they are trans but for most, like mine, it's a passing fancy. Don't listen to suicide statistic scaremongering. Encourage her to take her time, there is not need to do anything drastic straight away.

Good luck.

LongPauseNoAnswer · 16/12/2020 15:12

My own ds is non conforming as far as gender goes, although he has never expressed a desire to actually be a girl

This is a really pertinent point. I don't know any man or woman in my life who is gender conforming so that is a conversation to have. Biological sex and socially constructed gender norms are wildly different things and should not be conflated.

SirSamuelVimes · 16/12/2020 15:13

Stay away from Mermaids. Look at Transgender Trend. Make sure your DC knows it is not appropriate to use female single sex facilities, such as toilets & changing rooms.

Sittinbythetrees · 16/12/2020 15:17

Try not to get caught up in the trans industry. Support them in name and clothing choice, explore what is making them unhappy with their body - are there other issues?

Sexnotgender · 16/12/2020 15:19

@SirSamuelVimes

Stay away from Mermaids. Look at Transgender Trend. Make sure your DC knows it is not appropriate to use female single sex facilities, such as toilets & changing rooms.
Agree with this.

Maybe speak to the school and see if they have alternate facilities available to use.

HasaDigaEebowai · 16/12/2020 15:25

Just give your child time. At 16 they are still very much a child and if you immediately rush to change lots of things they may well then feel obliged to continue.

I could very easily have fallen into this trap with my child. Instead we didn't do anything other than reassure them that we loved them whatever and it passed fairly quickly. Child in question now feels they got sucked into an internet group and is very comfortable in their own biological sex.

Hayeahnobut · 16/12/2020 15:31

Your child doesn't need to speak to the GP to change their name. However it's a good idea to make an appointment so your child can be referred for support. School/ college will also have resources to help you both.

Transgender Trend is horribly transphobic and seems more concerned with denying trans people rights than doing any good. I certainly wouldn't be recommending them for support.

Most teen girls have no objection to sharing toilets with trans women, ask the school what arrangements they have.

Being honest I'd look somewhere other than MN for support. Unfortunately it has a small group of very noisy people who are against trans rights, and I can see they've already started sniffing around.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/12/2020 15:34

Transgender Trend is horribly transphobic and seems more concerned with denying trans people rights than doing any good

It absoloutley is not.

Europilgrim · 16/12/2020 15:38

Most teen girls have no objection to sharing toilets with trans women,
You cannot possibly know this and it is not up to you to decide who can and cannot use facilities.

OP, I think it is possible to be supportive without rushing into to do more than your child has requested. Has she talked about this before? Has she suggested a name? You can use a name without having to officially inform anyone.

mollscroll · 16/12/2020 15:58

Most teen girls have no objection to sharing toilets with trans women

Most adults see the problem immediately though. And actually even most teenagers would know that there are spaces for single sexes for good reason.

LongPauseNoAnswer · 16/12/2020 16:37

Being honest I'd look somewhere other than MN for support. Unfortunately it has a small group of very noisy people who are against trans rights, and I can see they've already started sniffing around

I’ve never seen anyone on Mumsnet say they are against trans rights. Far from it actually. What the GC women here are against is the erasure of women’s sex based rights because somehow trans rights should be more important. I am hugely gender critical but I’m also in full support of trans rights. I’m in support of equal rights for anyone as long as my rights are equally upheld.

Happywholesomeandloving · 16/12/2020 18:15

I hope to get this much support if my DD decides she is trans in the future

likeamillpond · 16/12/2020 18:22

@Hayeahnobut

Your child doesn't need to speak to the GP to change their name. However it's a good idea to make an appointment so your child can be referred for support. School/ college will also have resources to help you both.

Transgender Trend is horribly transphobic and seems more concerned with denying trans people rights than doing any good. I certainly wouldn't be recommending them for support.

Most teen girls have no objection to sharing toilets with trans women, ask the school what arrangements they have.

Being honest I'd look somewhere other than MN for support. Unfortunately it has a small group of very noisy people who are against trans rights, and I can see they've already started sniffing around.

Steer clear of advice like this. Your child is still very young. Don't let them get caught up in something they may later regret and is irreversible.
BelleSausage · 16/12/2020 18:28

Don’t rush. Let them take it at their own pace. If they are happy with their clothes then let them be. Listen. Be supportive and watch and wait for how they want this to develop.

mollscroll · 16/12/2020 18:30

Also do you have any indication of her sexuality ? Has she had any mental health struggles ? Autistic traits or struggles to fit in at school ? These are all relevant and may explain how she feels now.

StillWeRise · 16/12/2020 18:36

www.bayswatersupport.org.uk/
check this out OP
I think stay low key, non confrontational....let your child have lots of opportunities to do and try things that are NOT gender related....beware of the school as they may grab the idea and run with it and before your child knows where they are there is an assembly announcing their 'new name'....think how hard it would be to back track from that.

Moanella · 16/12/2020 18:46

TransgenderTrend is an excellent resource. Listen to the Filia podcast interview with Stephanie Davies-Arai if you are in any way concerned about the organisation - they are far from 'transphobic'.

Does your son show any signs of ASD, is he gay, struggling with mental health, has he been down any Internet rabbit holes (sissy porn, hypno porn, chirpy back to back YouTube videos made by trans people), what are his friends like?

You also need to tell him in no uncertain terms that it is wholly inappropriate for him to be using female toilets and changing facilities.

It is also totally unnecessary to rush straight into affirmation mode and start planning girly shopping trips. A bit of a reality check might be useful.

Laughlaughlaughcry · 16/12/2020 19:31

Thank you for your support- and concern.

Me and DD are quite close and she seems to really understand herself. My DH and younger DD are also in the house, but this is not relevant. DD has nice, respectful friends who have apparently accepted her.

I checked out transgender trend and didn't find it very useful- it seems to be mostly about government policy and reasons why someone might think they're transgender. Unfortunately, my DD seems to be suffering more with body dysphoria than being a "boy who likes to play with dolls". And I am looking for ways to support my DD to be happy rather than ways to be "right" Smile.

DD has decided it will be a good idea to wait until after christmas to tell family, we have some bigots in the family on DH side who might like to ruin Christmas for the rest of us.

As for school, college DD is at is off already so no way of asking for things there anyway. And, toilets shouldn't be an issue as they are single cubicle at college and most places have unisex toilets nowadays. The PE at college is optional and DD has piano lessons then, shes not even sure where the changing rooms are Grin.

OP posts:
Laughlaughlaughcry · 16/12/2020 19:33

@BelleSausage

Don’t rush. Let them take it at their own pace. If they are happy with their clothes then let them be. Listen. Be supportive and watch and wait for how they want this to develop.
Thank you. We will definitely be taking time to check in on her, find out what she wants to do next.
OP posts:
Laughlaughlaughcry · 16/12/2020 19:34

[quote Happywholesomeandloving]I hope to get this much support if my DD decides she is trans in the future

OP posts:
Kaliorphic · 16/12/2020 19:40

Transgender Trend is horribly transphobic and seems more concerned with denying trans people rights than doing any good. I certainly wouldn't be recommending them for support.

Transgender trend are a fabulous resource.

Most teen girls have no objection to sharing toilets with trans women, ask the school what arrangements they have.

This isn't true, many teen girls are concerned and it's also a problem that adults are concerned about as well. However the school may make arrangements for a separate toilet.

Laughlaughlaughcry · 16/12/2020 19:59

@Kaliorphic

Transgender Trend is horribly transphobic and seems more concerned with denying trans people rights than doing any good. I certainly wouldn't be recommending them for support.

Transgender trend are a fabulous resource.

Most teen girls have no objection to sharing toilets with trans women, ask the school what arrangements they have.

This isn't true, many teen girls are concerned and it's also a problem that adults are concerned about as well. However the school may make arrangements for a separate toilet.

Please see my first responseHmm. Transgender trend is not a fabulous resource for my situation.
OP posts:
mollscroll · 16/12/2020 20:18

Be aware there’s a fake transgender trend site set up by activists. I think Bayswater might help you with the watchful waiting and support approach.

DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult · 16/12/2020 20:23

Thats a lot of changes you want to make in a relatively short space of time.

As she is that bit older it should be easier to explain the need to go slowly.

Name change, no problem. Hair cut, no problem.

Doctors, should probably put off for a good year or two. Once you get the appointment at the gender clinic (which will take months) it goes fairly quickly, and once hormones are involved there is a lot of irreversible damage, even if detransitioning.

I found videos of the actual operations, stories from detransitioners, and every negative thing I could find, and explained to my child every consequence that could possibly come from this and we have been through every horror story and discussed them at length.

Now, more than a decade later, my child is still 100% sure, my child was much, much younger than 16, and we are now tentatively taking the first steps (after a lot of counselling, a little through the NHS and a lot privately funded by me).

Its great that you're supportive but there is a very fine line between supportive and encouraging, and you don't want to get into the situation where you're pushing it under the guise of being supportive. I found myself falling into this trap a few times, its easy to do.

Its really difficult, but its a path that lasts a lifetime so its much better to be totally sure before taking drastic measures. Take some time to get used to each step, and just remain supportive, and read and learn everything you can.

Its not easy Flowers