Child, Family, and Community Transformations: Findings from Interviews with Mothers of Transgender Girls

TLDR

The study examines five mothers of transgender children aged 8–11 who had socially transitioned to living as girls. Using Ehrensaft’s concept of the true gender self within an ecological framework, the authors organized data around a theme of transformation across family, neighborhood, and school contexts. Interviews revealed changes in children’s demeanor and well‑being, family and community responses, and highlighted implications for practice and future research.

Abstract

The present study represents findings from interviews with five mothers, each of whom had a transgender child. All of the transgender children were natal/biological males between the ages of 8 and 11 years old and had socially transitioned to living as girls. Ehrensaft's (2012) notion of the “true gender self” was integrated with an ecological perspective to examine multiple interacting contexts, including family, neighborhood, and school, in which the participants lived. An overarching theme of “transformation” (or lack thereof) was used to organize the findings in relation to the transgender children, their families, and their communities. Changes in relation to the children's demeanor and well-being before and after their social transitions (e.g., from shy and depressed to happy and well-adjusted), the parents’ and other family members’ feelings and reactions to the children's gender identities and expressions over time (e.g., health care professionals and school staff learning along with and from the families), and the responses of others in the community (e.g., lack of knowledgeable health care professionals and school personnel) are discussed. Findings have implications for practice and future research.