Welcome...
Whatever your reason for visiting, our goal is to provide information that will help you better understand, accept, affirm and support a gender non-conforming or transgender child or youth on their unique journey through life.
Cisgender, Gender Non-Conforming or Transgender?
While everyone's assigned birth sex (male or female) is designated by others based primarily on the external appearance of our anatomy1, our gender identity is solely based upon an internal and individual sense of ourselves as male, female, androgynous, non-gender or a unique blend of all the above.
For most people, their assigned birth sex (more or less) matches how they experience their internal gender identity. This is known as being cisgender.
Many cisgender people do not conform to the
social or cultural stereotypes that are expected of them. This can range
from the kind or color of clothes someone wears, to the way they speak or words they use when they speak or the
way they move or gesture. It can also be reflected in gender
non-stereotypical career choices.
All of these variations are examples
of
gender non-conformity.
Transgender ('trans' for short) is a widely used 'umbrella' term describing children and youth who do not relate to, experience or express their gender identity in a way that corresponds either to social or cultural gender stereotypes, their physical anatomy or assigned birth sex.
Could your child be transgender?
The short answer is, yes. Transgender identity (or the cultural
equivalent2) occurs in children of every nationality,
religion, ethnicity and economic status in every corner of the world.
Being transgender is as natural as being cisgender... just more rare.
1% of all children may be transgender3
While there is a great deal of misinformation and myths surrounding the lives and experiences of trans people, the truth is that in most ways they are just like everyone else... even if they are kids. And they need the same things all children need, unconditional love and affirmation for who they are.
We hope you find information that may be helpful to you here. Look around and let us know if there are ways in which we can assist you or your child.
You're not alone.
1. Some children are born with genitalia that is
not obviously male or female. They may be what is known as
'intersex'. For more information on this, visit the
Intersex Society
of North America.
2. Two-Spirit (Native American),
Kathoey (Thailand),
Fa'Fa' Fine
(Samoa), etc.
3.
San Francisco Unified School District School Climate Study (2008)
