Trans Kids Are Less Conservative About Gender Roles Than Cis Kids

[WAKAME]

It is often suggested in gender critical circles that trans people have very rigid and conservative views of gender roles and stereotypes, but a recent study has found that trans kids (and their siblings) are actually less rigid about gender stereotypes than their cis peers.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28913950

This is no surprise to trans people of course - we spend our lives fighting against imposed gender roles - the pre-transition life of a trans woman for example, is typically spent being told by homophobes not to be so girly, whilst her post-transition life is typically spent being told by TERFs how manly she is.

So it is a sad irony that whilst trans kids are "more willing to indicate a desire to befriend and attend school with someone who violates gender stereotypes", it is be amongst gender non-conforming women that they will find many of the people who repeatedly accuse them of perpetuating gender stereotypes.

Still, from a feminist perspective, it's nice to know that trans kids are leading the way by helping to support their gender non-conforming peers, whilst also helping to educate the people around them about the acceptance of human diversity. And as more and more trans people come out in childhood and access the help they need, I am sure things are only going to get better :-)

Transgender 6-8 year olds? By what definition?

That's not really surprising though is it? The feminist objection to extremist gender ideology is against the idea that gender non conforming kids should be encouraged to think they need to live as though they actually are the opposite sex just because they don't conform to imposed cultural gender role norms.

Labelling 6 year olds 'trans' or 'cis' is a problem, to begin with.

I suppose if a 6 year old were 'cis' they'd have some fairly strong views about conforming to gender roles. Since they'd identify with them and all. I notice the word isn't used in the abstract. I can't access the full article - is that a label it gives the control group? Or one you're giving? (If the latter, that tells me a lot about your motivations in posting).

Let children be children.

whilst her post-transition life is typically spent being told by TERFs how manly she is.

People with penises are male. That's about biology not imposed gender roles. Society should allow people to be who they are gender-role wise whatever sex they are. That is different from having sex-segregated areas and services for reasons of privacy, dignity and biological need.

I couldn’t see the full article but my guess is the ‘trans’ 6-8 year olds have been defined as trans due to their gender non-conforming behaviour. So if you put the kids who are gender non-conforming into one group because they are gender non-conforming then it is hardly surprising to find the kids in that group are gender non-conforming.

And then you have middle aged trans identifying males who think leg hair on a woman is dirty.

It's a shame it not a free to view article as the abstract raises a few questions for me:

-Define gender stereotypes
-Define gender non-conforming
-How did they select the control participants (eg did they exclude GNC children)

• How and under what conditions where the children questioned / observed
• And finally, at this age, surely parental influence should have been looked at?

There is something really quite aggressive about a transwoman coming into a female space and using the word 'cis,' which women here have repeatedly stated they find offensive.

If I met you in real life, wakame, I would be courteous and use female pronouns. Please extend us the same courtesy here. A 6 year old child cannot be trans, by the way.

@Mossandclover haha. Quite right x

This is no surprise to trans people of course - we spend our lives fighting against imposed gender roles

Just
Excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor.

I was a trans child who was also gender non-conforming. That's right - some trans girls are also tomboys.

Just think that through for a moment...

There is something really quite aggressive about a transwoman coming into a female space and using the word 'cis,' which women here have repeatedly stated they find offensive.

YY

There are no such thing as trans kid or cis kids and all kids are gender fluid imo until they reach 10/11. Rigid gender roles ate enfirced on them by misguided adults. People telling them they were "born in the wrong body" only accelerates this, rather than just letting them be gender non conforming or gay boys/girls, men/women.

That's right - some trans girls are also tomboys.

Or.... just a BOY?

You didn't lose that male socialisation tone with your transition, did you WAKAME?

Honestly what is the point of your post, @WAKAME?

It seems goady to me. Your point seems to be that transchildren and people are the best, and nasty old feminists are horrible.

So if you put the kids who are gender non-conforming into one group because they are gender non-conforming then it is hardly surprising to find the kids in that group are gender non-conforming.

Yes weird right?

There is something really quite aggressive about a transwoman coming into a female space and using the word 'cis,' which women here have repeatedly stated they find offensive.

This. 100 times over.

I think some people think that non gender conforming feminists are actually trans people who just don't accept that they are trans and perhaps they think they are helping us by showing us who we really are? Beause of course feminists have much higher levels of depression and suicide than trans people because we are so out of kilter really with our true selves?

Also, if a flippin' six-year old boy says he's a girl and is given any other response apart from "Don't be daft, sweetie, you've got a willy", then he's already being told that having male genitals is a negotiatable part of being a male. No wonder other things don't seem that important. Poor little kids.

They are just kids not transkids.

If they are so gender non conforming - why change gender?

It's a meaningless study. To identify, or be identified, as transgender at that age they must have affirming parents anyway so this is doing no more than saying that they live in affirming households.

So, if this hypothetical trans child’ is not reacting to gender roles, obviously has no awareness of sexuality and the connotations of sexuality, and little to no rooted socialisation or internalised misogyny, then what is it that drives this male child to believe they are female? What is this ‘feeling’ based on?

Children of this age are so tuned into developing schemas and systems to organise their understanding of the world. They cling to this as a way to forge binaries that help them to make sense of their surroundings. Most children of this age would have a very superficial understanding of gender roles. It’s unavoidable and systemic.

I have a kid. They'd love to be the opposite sex

They are not trans. Just sometimes they'd like to do stuff typical of the opposite sex.

I just say that's fine - you don't have to be a boy/girl to do that

There's even been a few tears that when they grow up they'll be a mummy/daddy as they'd like to pick

I could probably really easily turn my kid into a "trans" kid if I didn't just use common sense to explain we don't get a choice in everything in life