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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.”
13
“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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17
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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.”
22
“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”
25
“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