Transgender Child and the Harsh Transition

"Oh look, he's confused", parents of 11 year old Tammy say, a transgender child who idenified as a girl at age 3.  Tammy's birth name is actually Thomas, but she never felt like a boy. She is now 11, and lives as a girl. At a young age, she was constantly teased about liking dolls and be quiet. She would simply say, "I am a girl" when bullied about her gender and mannerisms. Her parents have been accused of being reckless, allowing their child to change genders. Judgement came quickly, and people said they were causing their child permanent damage.

"It's just plain weird", says a Stoller student, one who is against the gender tranisition of kids. A poll taken shows that 8 out of 23 students are against transgender children. 12 are for it, and 3 are simply neutral. Some transgender children have been rejected by family, who don't believe that they should change. Case in point is 14-year-old Mario, a girl who tried to be a girl, but never felt like one. "It felt like it was meant to be." He says. His family refused to believe that he was a boy, not a girl.

14 year old Mario

"If at any time you want to go back to your boy's clothes, you can go back to Thomas. It's OK." Tammy parents told her every step of the way. Tammy refused everytime. At age 8, Tammy's parents allowed her to buy her own clothes, and she picked out girls clothing. She wanted to change her name to Tammy, and have a new hairstyle, wardrobe and use female pronouns. 

Tammy, now 11 and living as a girl

 

"The parents are tortured by it," she said. "These are not easy decisions. Parents go through a long process going through this." says Olson, a transgender specialist.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/health/transgender-kids/index.html

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