Transgender youth

Transgender youth are children and adolescents who are transgender and/or transsexual. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, and because most doctors are reluctant to provide medical treatments to them, transgender youth face different challenges compared to adults. Transgender issues manifest at different times in life in different individuals. In most cases of gender dysphoria, the condition is often apparent in early childhood, when such a child may express behavior incongruent with and dissatisfaction related to their assigned gender. However, many of these children experience rejection as a result of their differences and quickly attempt to repress them. Therefore, people who see these children regularly may be unaware that they are unhappy as members of their assigned gender.

In many parts of the world, being transgender is not widely accepted by the public and as for transgender youth, they not only face discrimination but also can encounter family exclusion. Transgender youth may feel that they need to remain in "the closet" until they feel that it is safe and appropriate to come out and reveal their gender identity to their parents, family members, and friends. To "come out", according to Merriam-Webster, means to openly declare something about oneself previously kept hidden or to openly declare one's homosexuality. For the LGBT community, to "come out" means to acknowledge one's sexual identity or gender identity and make it known to the public of their identity. At the beginning, they may first be aware of the discordance of their gender identities and biological representation. This process can occur as early as six years old, with a mean age of 10.4. It takes on average three years then they would start getting labels from others saying that they are transgender individuals. Around a year later, they would recognize themselves as transgender individuals and start telling others about it. They would also start representing themselves according to their gender identities.

Family acceptance holds a significant impact on the lives of transgender youth. It may be impossible to predict a parent's reaction to the news of their child's decision to change his or her gender identity and the process can be fraught for many transgender youths. In some cases, parents will react negatively to such news and reject the child's decision by disowning the child or taking actions such as kicking the youth out of the home. Current research suggests that transgender youth who have been entered into the juvenile justice system are more likely to have experienced family rejection, abuse, and or abandonment compared to those youth who are not transgender as a result of "coming out" at a young age. Because transgender youth depend on their parents for support and acceptance, family exclusion can result in them becoming emotionally vulnerable and regretting their decision to come out. On the other hand, some parents are very supportive and provide their children with aid to guide them through transitioning. Additionally, reactions of parents to transgender children can change over time. For example, parents who initially reacted with negativity and hostility may eventually come around to support their transgender children.

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