Questioning gender is real mind-bender
What do you say, what do you do, if your child says he or she wants to change their gender?
If it takes a famous person like Chastity Bono to openly go through the process to create dialog, that's great. But not everyone is so lucky to have a built in fan-base, financial reserves, good connections. And not everyone is an independent adult.
Your questioning child still depends on you.
It's a complicated issue for those on the outside looking in.
But "complicated" doesn't even come close to describing the process for the individual going through it. How does he or she even begin to articulate it to others?
Think about this: a female wants to transition to male (F2M). Would that person want to be with females (straight) or other males (gay)? Conversely, would a male, transitioning to female (M2F) want to be with males (straight) or other females (lesbian)?
Is it even that simple? I think not.
Several articles and blogs have discussed one family where the parents are letting their 8-year-old son openly live life as a girl.
Here is one report.
For more insight, read this account of a woman whose son came to her and said "Mom, I need to be a girl."
Lots of organized information is available.
In this post Transproud helps parent navigate the reality that their child just announced they have a gender conflict.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is a voice within the school community to ensure a safe environment to GLBT youth and create open discussion.
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