my son was just diagnosed GID

Yes, well you have changed my mind. You are right, she does deserve all the compassion that she needs. In time we will know the causation of these and many other conditions, but we don't now. The incidence of Aspergers is on the rise and none of us knows why just yet.

What has happened to her son is too much for anyone to understand. I do hope that in time she will do what she has to do and adjust for the sake of her own sanity. The first time she held her tiny son, she could not have imagined that this would happen, and she must feel so lost and bereft.

I might meet with my own son in several weeks. I doubt that he will understand though it has been over 6 years. For me, transitioning to a female was not voluntary. That which I had fought off all my life became imposible to resist after the Docs had put me on very heavy dosages of psych meds. They were completely disinhibiting. By the time I came out of it 3 years later, upon stoping the drugs, it was all done. There is no going back.

The Psych folk need to be much more cautious about putting GID folk on meds.

hedgesxlr wrote:The military might actually be one of the best things he can do. I'm not saying to try to push out of him what he is going through, I am saying to help get him the care he needs when he gets out. I have been coping with GID for all 20 years of my life, and joining the military was one of the best things I ever did to help. During my 3 years, I have met a devout chaplain who is currently helping me to try to tell my family about my struggle, and an honorable discharge at the end of my time in means I can get full health benefits from the VA, including them paying for my hormone treatments and psycological therapy for my transition. The military does help its veterans, and all you need to do is get an honorable discharge with over 2 years of service to qualify.

I don't know if the military would be a perfect fit for all transgenders. I don't think it would have been for me.

I just wanted to add, also, is that a lot of transsexuals I've known managed to get on SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and Medicaid. This will also pay for your hormones and therapy visits, if you don't feel the military is the right choice. The only difference is that it is probably much harder to get on SSI than joining the military. I'm MTF and years ago I tried and my claim was denied twice. I've been working ever since so I felt that if I could hold down a job all of this time then I didn't need or have time for a therapist. I eventually stopped going.

Although, I feel that probably the downside to SSI is many people's opinion about those being on "welfare" (even other transsexuals) which may make our lives even harder. A transsexual friend told me one of her TS friends is on it and was living in a government-subsidized apartment complex for the elderly and disabled, but her elderly church-going neighbors didn't buy it she was legitimately disabled and felt she was merely cheating the system. She said they formed a petition to submit to Social Security on her. I don't know what happened, but I think this TS eventually moved out of the complex and to another town. I don't know what happened with the case, though.

I understand. I had been an Electrician for over 30 years, and wound up on heavy psych meds after 9/11. The meds are what made me unable to resist the GID, and once I came out, there was just no way to go back to work as a MTF in a male dominated trade, not to mention the 40% loss of strength. It would have been suicidal to do so. I eventually wound up on SSI due to my back.

Living in a section 8 building is a trip, and once they get you in those places, it is extremely inhibiting to recovery and resumption of a normal life. I eventually did escape and it was hard at first to live in society, but its now been almost 6 years and it seems like I have finally arrived, though I still run into pockets of prejudice when I least expect it.

It seems that the age group <35 are much less prejudiced. At first it is a challenge to not be the drama queen of a group, perhaps because of our distorted ideas of how women conduct themselves.

I too was in the Military and have VA benefits. It was good that I did.

Much peace

Sorry, I just found this after 3 years, when I first asked for help....I'm the mom who first posted this....here's an update!
this will take awhile as I feel you need to know for the very begining!!!!

I got married to my son's father when I was 19, had him by the age of 20.....my son was an only child until he was five, then I had his brother .....after 2 more years passed I had another son....I stayed with their father for ten years of marriage. Being an only child for 5 years, I devoted all of my extra attention to him.....I had a horrible marriage so it was really almost like I was a single mom for most of the ten years anyways (yes, I should have left my ex husband alot sooner than I did, but that is another story!).....so my son never felt anything but love form me, but his father wasn't a very good dad so, he never felt accepted from him either.



Anyways, I did notice my son having a fascination with 'girly' stuff very early on.....but thought nothing about it....until he started kinder garden. As, long as my son was happy, that's all I cared about. When I had my second son and he was in K.....he was diagnosed with ADD. But he was a good child and I never really had much problems with him at that point.....then I noticed he would 'accidentally' hurt the baby.....and 'hover' over him.....it started happening more and more....the therapist he was seeing said he was an angry child. I NEVER saw it at all....he was good and happy!!! Long story short, we tried some meds....I didn't think they helped him but made him a zombie and he lost alot of weight. By the time my third son came .....my marriage was ending and I had to go back to my parents house to live....with three little kids and one of them was only 3 moths old. We shared my old bedroom.....all three of us crammed in their. We did this for about a year.....until I met my current husband and we got married and moved out.



During my son's whole life his father was an absentee type of dad....I won't bore you with all the times a descriptions of everything......he never abused us physically....it was more emotion and mental stuff....for me and my oldest son....he never did that to the other boys!



When I married my current husband, I did notice my older son seemed to be jealous.....anytime I had more children or when I got remarried....he seemed to be jealous. I figured it was normal and he would eventually out grow that....which he did seem to do.....but we've always remained very close.



I've always known he was different as far as the 'girl stuff' goes....I just figured he would outgrow that as well....I thought it was because I was the only parent he really ever knew and we were so close???



When he started puberty is where thing REALLY took a turn. My son HATES Dogs/Animals (ever since he was about 5 years old he was pushed down by our big black dog.....the dog was playing with him, but is really scared him....and from that point on he wouldn't have anything to do with animals!) Anyways, we had gotten a cute little puppy.....and of course my son HATED him....wasn't really mean to him, just didn't want him around....would never pet him, etc.

Then he started wanting to go outside , by himself he would say.....to play. I would watch him thought the window, he would pace the yard talking to himself. He did this often. One day I watched him....then when I went back....he wasn't anywhere to be found, so I went outside and he was petting the dog! I told him how happy I was and 'see the dog just wants your attention and to be friends!".....but he acted like he had done something wrong and was guilty. I thought it was maybe because he had always hated the dog and now liked him.......this happened a couple of more times....then one day I saw him with a (sorry so graphic)...hard on....and he was petting the dog and kinda rubbing up on the dog......I acted like I did not see anything....and just told him it was time to come inside! I was scared and told no one....but I did noticed he did this quite often....he was 12 years old.



Then, when he was thirteen we moved 5 states away.... for my husbands job. We were all excited about the move. We decided to rent a home instead of but because we didn't no anything about this new state and what to expect. (Oh, and from the 5th grade until 8th grade I homeschooled my son.....that's because of the bulling he was receiving in the public schools and not much done to ever stop it....he was bullied from about 1st grade on!!!!)



So, I decided that since he was going into high school.....we had a new life in a new state....that he would go to public school.....BIG mistake!!!

First off, the only sex ed he got was from a Christian perspective......and it was basic.....but I figured that he would be OK with that....another BIG mistake.



We had invited my husbands boss and his family over for a BBQ since we had no family there......after we got settled in......he had a daughter that was 10 years old.....my son was following her around in a very weird way......his boss's wife even said something to me ....I was so embarrassed and scared for the little girl.....they kept going off in the woods and he was hanging all over her....i thought he was going to rape her or something....I was even creeped out!!!



The next morning, he was asking me 'how you know when your in love?' questions.....and when he told me that he was in love with my husband's bosses daughter....I told him.....you can't be in love when you first meet someone....and that she was way too young for him etc. ....he got really upset. Well, needless to say, I never invited them over again, LOL!!!



OK....So school went pretty good at first or so it seemed....my son never told me that he was once again being picked on and bullied....until later on. But anyways, as soon as the very first day he IMMEDIATELY started asking me sexual questions. He was hearing all sorts of stuff he had never heard before.....so I answered them......it was EVERDAY for the first weeks of school!!!



Then I started finding notes that he had written to girls....saying I love you....then they would reply with 'you don't even know me'.....they were really creepy and INSISTENT!!! Almost like he was stalking them!!! So, I had a talk with him about boundaries and respecting girls etc.



We put him in a program called Explorers (it's through the Sheriffs dept. for teens......kinda helps motivate and see if they want to be police officers etc. ).....he seemed to like it....but my new husband was concerned because he was following one girl around the same way....getting in her personal space etc......very creepy!!! The girl actually came to my husband and asked him to make him stop!!! Talk about embarrassing!!! So again we had a talk with him about personal space/boundaries and respecting others....etc.......little did we know that we had an Aspires kid on our hands....but didn't get a diagnosis until later!



His grades started going down and he started getting weirder and meaner. More hostile and hateful towards all the kids and me.

(I forgot to say, my new hubby and I had a set of twins after a year of marriage...plus he has a daughter from his first marriage!)



OK, so I found more notes in his room....this time telling some kid that he was a bisexual. So, I asked him about it....and he says yes I am! So, I asked him what that means....and he couldn't tell me. So, I told him and EXPLAINED to him.....he was 'disgusted, he said!'......he said he didn't KNOW....but we found out he was hanging out with the only kids that would accept him....and they were all Gothic and gay and lesbian kids. They next week, he was beaten up at school....it was all caught on tape and I had to go down and talk with the principle etc.....basically nothing was done to this kid who did this to my son....and apparently this had happened more than once and he was being bullied every single day....this group of friends that he had made were the only thing he had! So, I pulled him out of pubic school once again and TRIED to homeschool him.



At that point our lease was up and we decided to move closer to where my husband was working.......so I put m,y son in public school again.



The exact same thing started happening, that happened at the other HIghSchool!!! We got through basically two years before it got bad enough, that I had to pull him out of school again. So, we decided to send him back home to finish his last year of highschool living with my mom.



Now, let me explain what was going on as well with his diagnosis. When we moved, I got in touch with a therapist and he started getting a diagnosis. The first one was Aspergers. So we were sent to an Aspergers specialists. He is the one that gave us the diagnosis of GID...he said he most definitely did not have ASpergers!!! He also told us that my son had told him all about he fetish with Animals....kinda bestiality!!! He had been having our dog 'lick' him!! I was heartbroken and felt helpless/hopeless!!!

So, this Aspergers specialists sent us to a GID/Sexual specialists. He gave us a diagnosis of ASpergers , ADHD, ODD and severe depression. By then I was totally confused as what exactly was going on with my son!!!!!! I went to yet another therapist...that person told he my son was just gay and depressed!!!!

Everytime we got a different diagnosis....it was AWFUL!!! Also, at this time my son was getting really hostile with the littler children and kept hurting them on 'accident'......when I mentioned this to the DR.....he told me that I needed to control my son from hurting my other children or he would have to 'report' it....and I could get all of my children taken from me!!

So, with all that....and with the stuff going on at school....that's when we decided to send him to live with my mom as a way to remove him from everything and have a fresh start!!!!



Well, my son started acting worse in the next Highschool....he was going through counseling...but nothing seemed to help. My mom,through the advice of the Dr's put him on three different kinds of meds.....I forget the names right now. Anyways, when he came home at Christmas, I didn't recognize him at all!!! He was bloated and had gained about 60 or more pounds and he looked so unhealthy!!!



Long story short(or maybe not!) he did graduate and came back home to live last year!!!



We are currently working with the DOL in the Voc Rehab to get him help. They have diagnosed him with severe depression, ADHD and Aspergers. I have taken him off all meds and he lost all his weight(mostly)...and looks healthy again. He is now 20 years old......he is currently Not working because he has such fears of people (almost more of a social phobia in my opinion!!!).....he had refused to drive to this point....but we have seen an improvement in him!! we are currently going to an Non Denominational Church. We have counseled with both the youth pastor and the pastor of the church and have gotten more help in the past year with them...than the past 5 years with traditional counseling!!!! They have talked with my son and continue to love and accept him for who he is....rather than the judging!!! Plus he is a 20 man in the eyes of society....but he is more on the age of an 14 year old teen emotionally and mentally. He has tested off the charts intelligently....but he has a long way to go emotionally and mentally!!!



I feel like he will be OK and lead a normal life someday!!!All I want for him is a happy life and for him to be able to make it financially on his own someday. So, as you can see he is not the normal case by any means....it's not so cut and dry so to speak. I want the very best for all of my children and love them all...but I worry most about my oldest child!



He now is saying he is gay, which is no big surprise....but yet, I think he is so confused sexually he doesn't know what to do!!! When he was going through puberty and we had gotten the dog and I saw he was struggling with his sexuality.........then going from one girl to the next and getting rejection everytime because he was creeping them out......then getting accepted by the Gothic people who introduced him to gay and lesbian behavior.....I can go on and on....but he will always be my son...no matter what....I just want him to be happy and to 'find' himself.



I think his body will eventually catch up with his mind....or vise versa. I'm just waiting to see what life holds him......he is so smart....but afraid to go to college after what happened to him in HS....and who could blame him? He hasn't wanted to work or get a job because of his fears.....so that is why he is getting help from the Voc Rehab.....but it's taking FOREVER!!! UGH!!!



Thanks for hearing my long story and for prayers and support....we sure need it!!! I know life is hard for 'NORMAL' people...but people with disabilities(physically,emotionally or mentally it is so cruel)....people like my son or anyone who is 'DIFFERENT" face alot of cruelty and it needs to stop! I for one am tired of seeing my son suffer because people don't understand him!!!



I am a 'Christian".....meaning I believe in Jesus Christ as God's son and through the shedding of his blood on the cross I am made clean. But I also, am a little different as I don't believe we know it all when it comes to God. The bible was written by man....yes, God inspired....but by man no less.....and we are missing books you know....like the Dead Sea Scrolls......how many other pieces are we missing? I'm just saying that I think there is more to God than we will ever know....and after going through all of this in my life, I DO know that there is a GOD....and He loves my son right where he is and I feel confident my son is saved....because He too is saved. I'm more Spiritual than religious......when it comes down to it....as long as you believe in Jesus...that's all you need...we have ALL sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God.....but through Christ are made Clean!!!

God Bless you all and thank you!

-- Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:45 am --

so sorry for all the typos and some of it didn't make sense......but I ended up having to type it twice and didn't go back to reread before I submitted it....hopefully you can understand everything, LOL!!!!

I am sorry that life for you and your family has been so hard. It sounds as if your son is quite challenged. Even with Aspergers, from your description, he sounds quite high functioning, and perhaps with some nurturing and college, he can be quite successful. I have known several Aspergers folk and they can be quite impressive.

Much peace

Hala

momto5kids,
I remember you from another Aspergers forum way back when, our kids are similar (mine came out as transgender recently but ZERO interest in sex - too emotionally young - we accept and love and support also but kiddo still struggling). Stick with your instincts, you are very loving and you ALWAYS have your kid's best interests in mind. Hang in there, girl, you're doing a good job at being there for him. Extra stars on your mom evaluation! lol.

Even though it's been awhile since anyone has posted here, as the dates indicate, I would like to air my feelings here. I, also, am a mom with an adult son who has just "declared" himself to be TG. He was recently in drug rehab, and as part of the family therapy, while I, his father, and one older sister were there, and in the presence of a therapist, he "dropped the bomb" on us as the reason for his drug addiction. For the 90 days he was in rehab, he had a therapist and a psychiatrist. He allowed us access to his medical records and I spoke on several occasions on the phone with his therapist/case manager. She never indicated something as life changing/traumatic as gender issues, just kept saying he was "working on" some "deep" issues. I have yet to see the records I have requested from the psychiatrist, so I don't even know if a true "diagnosis" was made other than what he says he "feels".

The therapist that continued to work with him admitted to having no experience in this area.Can you imagine the trauma that WE, his family went through, when this was dropped on us?! I am appalled that we paid in the tens of thousands for his rehab and no one thought to pre-warn us and maybe recommend he be moved or put in contact with someone who was more experienced about TG and could do further testing. I literally nearly passed out when I heard what he said. Well, actually I didn't hear everything because I "felt" something coming and my blood rushed to my ears and I couldn't hear his whole statement, only that he was still our child but no longer our son. We had to sit there in shock and listen to his therapist call him "her" and "she" and address him by the female name he has chosen. Again, I felt that we were considered "insensitive" (though that was not spoken) because we didn't immediately jump on the band wagon. It seems to me that the whole "campus" knew and accepted his TG persona and it was one big GOTCHA on us, his family. I even told his therapist when she asked me if I was angry, that well no I wasn't but annoyed (but now I AM angry) that we were given no warning, and it is so very easy for HER to sit there and call our son "she" because she is not his mother and doesn't have to adjust and live with this for rest of her life.

Coffeegirl1 has it right. WE are the family and our trauma and pain is just as much or more than our son's. I am his mother. I gave birth to him, loved him, nurtured and even enabled him during his drug usage(thinking I was helping by continuing to help him financially). His dad and I have ALWAYS protected him, loved him, encouraged him and tried to understand him. We have been in pain for most of his adolescence until now, because of him. I feel that I have lost a son. A son who I love and have always felt I could talk to and he could talk to me. Except during his addiction, when I stayed open and he just lied to and used us.

He says he has felt this way his whole life, though I really have my doubts about it. He never exhibited any feminine qualities as a child. His older sisters played "dress up" with him, but that didn't keep him from being rough and tumble, and being interested in everything little boys are interested in. I even set out with a "no violence" policy (pretend fighting, guns, weapons etc.) when he was little. But he would pretend a stick was a gun and loved watching Power Rangers and pretend fighting. Star Wars, light sabers, army guys, trucks, cars and video games etc. all interested him. Even now, he is still very masculine in his body language and voice inflections and expressions. I asked him if he felt that he/she was a "frilly, foo-foo" kind of a woman and he said "no. I'm not a girly girl." He says he is still attracted to women so he is not gay. So is he a lesbian? He doesn't say that either.There is a girl who moved to another state that I think he is "in love" with. But, from I know their relationship is mostly sexual. Though, not now, because she is too far away and he doesn't have a penny to his name to move there, though I know he wants to. How will he maintain that sexual part of his life if he decides to take hormones, which will diminish his "ability"?

Now he is at home, and after being stoned out of his gourd for 2 years, and in his late 20's, he is starting over. Broke up with his enabling and drug using girlfriend (who is also a big liar and drama queen). He has re-enrolled in college and is supposed to be looking for a job. Some of his past "bad habits" are improved but he is still way under-achieving, but that may change once school starts.

For my own peace of mind I want him to see another psychiatrist that can do brain mapping and brain chemistry analysis. Even though my son says it will not change anything about what he feels and that he doesn't think anything is wrong with his brain. Maybe, maybe not. But it will help me. I am not yet to the place where I can tell him how angry and hurt his words and behavior make me feel. I am still "protecting" him. I feel am being blackmailed, in a sense, in that if I express my own feelings too much, he will go back to drugs, though he says that is not going to happen.

I still don't have a therapist for him and the one therapist I know personally, who specializes in drug addiction and family counseling, tells me to just take care of myself and keep going to Alanon meetings, and if my son wants therapy he should find a therapist. BUT he is so DYSFUNCTIONAL when it comes to life skills! He would be in transitional living now if we could afford it. He would have someone else setting a schedule, making sure he went to AA or NA meetings (which he isn't doing now), helping him find a job and learn to manage money and take care a house or apartment.

I am trying to do all of that, along with my husband, AND be his mother and friend and try to encourage him. I am in pain all of time and sometimes just stop thinking about it, and go on about my own business. I am a new grandmother and expecting another grandchild in about 2 months. Both live long distance so I have to travel if I want to see my grandbabies. We also have a younger son, in his 20s who lives nearby and is fairly independent.

Anyway, when I just "go on about my business" my son just stays to himself, watches tv or plays video games like he use to, even though he told us the new "female" him is more motivated to accomplish things. He will do whatever I ask him to do around the house to help, but he doesn't just volunteer. He needs a life coach(and guess for now it's me) and I am trying to find the right help for him for his dysfunction and his TG issues. I am also trying to find a psychiatrist for him with no luck so far. In spite of all of this, I feel that he and I are still very close. But most of the time all of the conversations and activities (other that the recreational things we do together as a family) are all about him. I don't see much empathy on his part for what we are going through.

So yes, coffeegirl has it right. The family of TG people are just as much, or more misunderstood than the TG person. I DO blame myself, even though we have 3 other adult children who are doing just fine. We are Christians, though are not a part of an organized church. We are "spiritual", rather than religious, having been hurt by "religion". We still believe in Jesus. (Another "hurt" from 3 of our children, including our TG one, is that have rejected their childhood Christian teaching, though we are all still very close and loving.)

My husband and I and our other children are trying to deal with all of this. We thought that when our son got out of rehab, we would have him back and his siblings would have their brother back. Now we have to go through another cr**load (pardon me) of stress, pain, confusion and adjustment, all while walking a tightrope so our son/daughter doesn't relapse into drugs again. So even though he has had about 9 weeks to "come out" and be female, encouraged by an inexperienced therapist, we are just now learning to cope and I would appreciate if the LGBT "community" would have just an inkling of the tolerance for us as they expect from everyone else. We are just as "transitional" as our son is, only it is something that is opposite of what we feel. We have to "bite the bullet" as usual, stifle our own pain, and do what is best for our child. We love him and always will, no matter what. But I don't know if I will ever be happy about this, only happy that he is still living, still in our lives and not doing drugs, and hopefully, accomplishing something, becoming independent and happy.

Thanks for letting me say all of this "out loud".

Wow, that's exactly my topic!

I've been diagnosed with HFA (highfunctionin autism) and GID.

Well, the GID wouldn't go away, so I would suggest hormone therapy and support, sending her to an expert and calling her in the futur your daughter and telling your child that you love and support her, no matter what.
That will make it a lot easier for her.

I wish you good luck.

Coffeegirl & Lovemyfamily:

There is plenty of support for the family members and loved ones of transpeople. However, its not the kind of support either of you seem to want.

WE are the family and our trauma and pain is just as much or more than our son's.

You're not the one who's in the wrong body. You're not the one who's literally forced to abide by gender roles to please those about you. You are allowed to be yourself yet you demand your daughter to act like a boy to appease you. You can either accept your childhood fully or run the risk of her killing herself. Being trans is like death from a thousand cuts. So, yes addiction is a means of avoiding the real self and the rate of transfolks using drugs & alcohol to cope is insanely high.

We have been in pain for most of his adolescence until now, because of him. I feel that I have lost a son. A son who I love and have always felt I could talk to and he could talk to me.

Your feelings of loss are perfectly valid. Its normal, in fact healthy, to go through a feeling of loss in such a case; the loss of your concept of your child's identity. Just be careful, because she coming out to family is extremely hard and she most likely needed the support of her therapist and friends in rehab to do it. If you give the cold shoulder than she may shut down, when her coming out is her way of getting closer to you. Most gender support groups fully accept parents and partners to express, deal with, and cope with their feelings of loss as long as they're respectful. There's also tons of books on this.

His older sisters played "dress up" with him, but that didn't keep him from being rough and tumble, and being interested in everything little boys are interested in.

I asked him if he felt that he/she was a "frilly, foo-foo" kind of a woman and he said "no. I'm not a girly girl." He says he is still attracted to women so he is not gay. So is he a lesbian? He doesn't say that either.

You're setting her up to fail. Seriously, gender cannot be defined. The only thing you can do is associate traits to gender. What your doing is completely unfair since your demanding that she validate herself as a woman when your state of womanhood is assumed; the context being that she's not the real thing so she must prove herself. Not every woman is a girly-girly. She's just starting to understand what her gender means to her. Lesbians had the same issue during and right after the 2nd wave. Don't repeat history, its not fair.

For my own peace of mind I want him to see another psychiatrist that can do brain mapping and brain chemistry analysis. Even though my son says it will not change anything about what he feels and that he doesn't think anything is wrong with his brain. Maybe, maybe not. But it will help me.

Your not owning your feelings of loss so your assuming that something must be wrong with her. In short, your fighting to have your own way. For sure, you should have feelings about her coming out but her identity really has nothing to do with you. You don't demand of your husband or other children that they act contrary to their identity nor would you. A quick read of such an attitude will quickly lead you to the state of profound isolation, hurt, and betrayal trans people, like myself, suffer from the belligerence of our families. Your continued use of calling her "he" is a symptom of this.

If you learn to let go, accept, and love your child than you may have a much stronger relationship with her than you ever had. As far as her not doing going to AA/NA, getting a job, etc that's on her and she should get off her a*. I agree with you fully on that one. Kudos for your work in Alanon.

Hi Lovemyfamily.

I thought I'd put in my 2 pennies if you don't mind. Bear in mind that I'm not an expert on this, this is just what I've seen.

Gender isn't a binary option. It isn't simply a he/she issue. There are many shades of grey and some other colors thrown in the mix. It would go better for your child if you don't put pressure on them with preconceived stereotypes, while they are exploring their gender. It is only as traumatic as you make it. You haven't lost your child. Accepting them no matter what they decide is key.

Growing up I had some effeminate mannerisms that my parents nixed. Although my gender issues were repressed they never went away. To this day I still have gender identity issues that have never been resolved. The point I'm trying to make is denying your child has gender identity issues solves nothing. Giving your child room to explore their gender is the only way to let them resolve those issues.

I was careful to be gender neutral writing this, but if your child wants to be called a girl, why not try it out? It isn't the end of the world.