Parent' Reactions to Transgender Youth' Gender Nonconforming Expression and Identity

Abstract Abstract Fifty-five transgender youth described their gender development and expression, parent' reactions to their gender nonconformity, and initial and current mother' and father' reactions to their transgender identity. All of the youth reported feeling different from others in early childhood. Forty-three of the participant' mothers and 26 of their fathers knew about their identities. The youth reported that 54% of their mothers and 63% of their fathers initially reacted negatively, and 50% of the mothers and 44% of their fathers reacted negatively at the time of the interviews, an average of 3 years later. The more gender nonconforming the youth, the more likely they reported that they were verbally and physically abused by their mothers and fathers. Implications of these findings for social service professionals are discussed. Key Words: Transgendergender nonconformitygenderyouthparentchildhood abuse