Supporting children under 12
Caring for a child under 12 who is gender creative, questioning, trans, non-binary, or Two-Spirit might bring up some questions for you as a parent or caregiver.
Gender health & development
Affirmation & social transition
Medical options
Community voices
Some kids are just born knowing who they are and their authentic gender self, and will tell the world who they are out of the womb. Others need to take a journey to discover themselves through exposure and experimentation that leads to discovery. As a parent, even if you don’t understand, you need to be open and supportive and let your child show you who they are.
—J, on knowing their child’s true gender from a young age
Gender-creative children need room to explore who they are. This means their gender identity may change while they experiment with gender and what that looks like. Changes felt very extreme at times. It’s not linear, and they may not fit into a neat, singular category. Not everything requires definition.