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Young Trans or Gender Diverse People

The Needs of Gender Variant Children

Author Elizabeth Anne Riley (PhD Cand) MA(Couns) BSc

 Supervisors

Prof. Milton DiamondDr. Gomathi Sitharthan

Prof. Lindy Clemson

THE UNIVERSITY OF

SYDNEY

“Adult clients seeking help for Gender Dysphoria [cross-gender identification] have

generally lived traumatic existences for years and the process of transitioning is

often ‘tortuous and conflict-laden’”(Diamond, 2002)

Diamond, M. (2002). Sex and Gender are Different: Sexual Identity and Gender Identity are Different. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 7(3), 320-334

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THE UNIVERSITY OF

SYDNEY

• Gender: Psychological, behavioural, or cultural characteristics associated with maleness or femaleness.

• Gender Expression: the way in which a person acts to communicate gender

• Gender Variance (GV) : Non-conforming gender expression or behaviour.

• Gender Identity: An internally felt sense of gender. The self-image or belief a person has about their gender as being female, male, both, or something altogether different.

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• Gender Roles: roles allocated to people as female or male generally based on their anatomy at birth

• Sexual orientation: The internal experience that determines who we are physically and/or emotionally attracted to.

• Gender Dysphoria: an incongruity between a person’s physical birth sex and their felt sex and gender identity.

• Gender Identity Disorder: A psychiatric diagnosis based on distress due to Gender Dysphoria

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• Transgender: Anyone whose gender expression and/or identity does not fit into the traditional notions of “male” and “female”.

• Transsexual: A person born with the physical characteristics of one sex but the gender identity of the opposite sex.

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1: Parent survey : their experiences, responses, challenges

and support requirements in rearing a gender variant child

2: Transgender Adult surveytheir experiences, difficulties, needs and impact

in being a gender variant child

3: Professional survey: their understanding of the issues gender

variant children and their parents face.6

Aims of the study Highlight the issues Identify support needs of GV children Identify support needs of parents. Recognise ways of marginalisation

Longer term objectives Contribute to trans-positive guidelines Contribute to curriculum for education

programs Reduce bullying of children Contribution to positive mental health

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  All participants n (%)

Parents/Guardians  Mother 27 (87)Father 3 (10)

Guardian 1 (3)  31 (100)

Age range of the Parents/Guardians  26-45 21 (68)46-65 9 (29)

66+ 1 (3)  31 (100)

Marital Status  Unmarried or not in a relationship 6 (19)

Married 24 (77)De facto 1 (3)

  31 (100)*

Demographics

Occupation  Professionals (Lawyers, physicians, teachers

etc.)11 (35)

Non-professionals (Sales, paralegal, real estate etc.)

13 (42)

Domestic dutiesSelf-employed (non-professional)

3 (10)1 (3)

PensionerRetiredStudent

1 (3)1 (3)1 (3)

  31 (100)*

PARENTS

“There are constant tears at night time and

begging her angels to turn her into a girl.

We knew it was serious when she told us at

six years of age that she wanted to die so

she could come back and be a girl as she

was supposed to be.”

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“[We are aiming to cope with] his distress

and wishes… [we were] trying to do the

right thing for him while being unsure what

the right thing was” and… “If I try to steer

him away from it [gender variance] will it

damage him because he feels that I don’t

approve of him???” 12

“A lot of these people believe we are making

him gender variant or worsening the situation

by buying him girl’s stuff. Therefore, [they

say] it’s our fault, that we are irresponsible

parents. They don’t understand these kids

don't choose to be different, they just are.”

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“The reality of how the world views my child

and how she's being treated by society

breaks my heart.”

14

“Every day he asks me to take him to

the doctor so he can cut his willy off,

so he can be a girl.”

15

“[We were] told we had to wait until she had

completed puberty, by which time she had

assured me she would have killed herself.

This has placed a massive financial burden

on our family to pay for treatment that

should have been available by choice.”

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  All participants n (%)

Age Range  18-25 10 (9)26-45 39 (35)46-65 57 (52)

66+ 4 (4)  110 (100)

Birth Sex  Female 35 (32)

MaleOther

70 (64) 5 (5)110 (101)*

Demographics

How do you describe yourself?  Transgender 18 (16)

Transsexual, female-to-male, transman (FtM)

21 (19)

Transsexual, male-to-female, transwomen (MtF)

34 (31)

Female 25 (23)Male 5 (5)

Two-spirited 1 (1)Masculine androgyne/gender queer 1 (1)

Androgyne 1 (1)Not willing to identify with a gender

labelNo reply

3 (3) 1 (1)110 (100)

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Age at identification of gender variance  0-5 53 (48)

6-12 49 (44)13-18 2 (2)

18+No reply

2 (2) 4 (4)

  110 (100)Living as preferred gender  

Full-time 77 (71)Part-time 18 (16)

Occasionally 10 (7)Never

No reply 4 (5) 1 (1)

  110 (100)Are you taking hormones?  

Yes 83 (75)No 27 (25)

  110 (100)If not, are you planning to take hormones in the future?

 

Yes 14 (50)No 13 (50)

  27 (100)Have you had sexual reassignment surgery?  

Yes 55 (50)No

No reply 53 (48) 2 (2)

  110 (100)

ADULTS

ADULTS

“[I was] very scared - I had never heard of

anyone else having such feelings. I thought

if I told anyone they might put me away in

some mental institution. I dared not even

tell my parents.”

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“I tried to talk with my mother about my

‘problem’ but it was too difficult for her. I was

sent to a private all-boys school. As if that

would ‘cure’ me… [It was] the only time I

have endured beatings… I was definitely not

cross-dressing at school. Somehow people

just knew… I will never get over that.”

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“My folks were brought up with the closed

mentality of gays go to hell, and that boys

cannot be girls and vice versa. Nothing can

and will ever change their beliefs.”

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“by the time I was 11, I'd come to the

conclusion that there was just something

innately wrong with me, like I was some kind

of cosmic joke, and I already had

depression, low self-esteem, and suicidal

tendencies”

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“I was late reaching puberty but when I did

it was the worst thing ever. I didn't tell

anyone I'd started menstruating so each

month was going through torment trying to

cope with bleeding without any sanitary

towels (I couldn't bring myself to buy any).

I detested my body and became more and

more isolated and withdrawn.”

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“The constant fear of being beaten was difficult to

live with, but by high school I discovered how I could

make myself feel better: I could become the person

everyone expected me to be - and I was soon

playing a sport (water polo) and learning how to 'be

a man'. This was, of course, when I was around other

people. When I was alone, my gender issues would

often overwhelm me”.

.”27

“Most medical professionals I have

spoken to about the subject have no

idea at all, and tend to want to use you

as a study subject, rather than offer

professional help.”

28

“Knowing there were others would have made me feel less of a freak.”

“SOMEBODY, ANYBODY noticing my difference and understanding what it

meant!”

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Qualifications (Highest)  PhD 12 (26)

Masters 10 (22)Graduate Diploma

Bachelor4 (9)

14 (30)Diploma 1 (2)

CertificateNo formal qualification

1 (2)4 (9)

  46 (100)Occupation  

Counsellor/Therapist 9 (20)Social WorkerYouth Worker

9 (20)2 (4)

Psychologist 8 (17)General Practitioner 4 (9)

Endocrinologist 2 (4)Psychiatrist 1 (2)

Gynaecologist 1 (2) Lawyer 2 (4)

Researcher 2 (4)Educator/Trainer 3 (7)

Director/Coordinator of organisation

3 (7)

  46 (100)

Professional practice data

PROFESSIONALS

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•Heard • Accepted• Professional access• Peers• Information•Not be bullied, blamed, punished, attacked or marginalised discriminated • Expression of gender• Safety• Support 

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• Information – books, guidelines, research, schools• Education – In schools and the community generally• Professionals – to be educated and aware of the

options• To have a diagnosis and treatment pathway• To have peer support: access to other parents• To have emotional support and counselling for

themselves and their family• For society to be accepting• To see, meet and know transgender people• To have guidelines in schools• To have access to puberty delaying hormones• To have politicians/leaders with awareness of the

issues36

• Riley, E. A., Wong, W. K. T., & Sitharthan, G. (2011). Counseling Support for the Forgotten Transgender Community. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 23(3), 395-410.

• Riley, E. A., Clemson, L., Sitharthan, G., & Diamond, M. (2011). The needs of gender-variant children and their parents: A parent survey. International Journal of Sexual Health, 23, 181-195.

• Riley, E., Clemson, L., Sitharthan, G. & Diamond, M. (E-Print). Surviving a gender variant childhood: The views of transgender adults on the needs of gender variant children and their parents. Sex & Marital Therapy Journal

• Riley, E., Clemson, L., Sitharthan, G. & Diamond, M. (2011). Professionals’ views: The needs of gender variant children and their parents. International Journal of Transgenderism 132, 54-63.

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• Diamond, M. (2002). Sex and Gender are Different: Sexual Identity and Gender Identity are Different. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 7(3), 320-334

• Lev, A. (2007). Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines for Working with Gender-Variant People and Their Families. The Haworth Clinical Press. Binghampton, NY 13904-1580.

• Pfaefflin, F. and Coleman, E. (1997) Introduction. International Journal of Transgenderism, 1(1).

• http://www.cartoonstock.com/search.asp?x=a&keyword=playgrounds&Category=Not+Selected&Boolean=Or&Artist=Not+Selected&submit=Search

• http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228CP3PGE8H

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THE UNIVERSITY OF

SYDNEY