Insider: BUSSW Lecturer & Alum Rebecca Minor (SSW’15) Says Children Know If They Are Trans
While some parents may struggle with their young children identifying as trans, BUSSW Lecturer Rebecca Minor (SSW’15) explains that the most important thing a parent can do is provide unconditional love and support: “Kids know themselves a lot more than adults tend to give them credit for, and we need to listen.” In her latest op-ed for Insider, Minor discusses how gender develops in children as young as 3 years old.
Excerpt from, “As a Gender Specialist, I’ve Seen Kids as Young as 3 Recognize They Are Trans” by Rebecca Minor, originally published in Insider.
Gender development of transgender children between the ages of 3 and 12 years old is, at the most basic level, the same as cisgender children’s gender development. More and more studies have shown that gender-nonconforming and transgender children are just as confident and consistent in their own gender identity as cisgender children.
Any identity confusion a caregiver witnesses is more likely due to societal expectations and a desire to conform than a child doubting their own identity. Many studies have suggested that preschool-aged transgender children aren’t significantly different from their gender-typical peers in their development. In one small study of 3- to 12-year-old trans youth, the transgender children’s preferences for toys, clothes, and friends were more typically associated with their expressed gender. They also expressed greater feelings of similarities to peers of their own expressed gender.”