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Young Trans or Gender Diverse People The Needs of Gender Variant Children

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY. Young Trans or Gender Diverse People The Needs of Gender Variant Children. Author Elizabeth Anne Riley (PhD Cand ) MA( Couns ) BSc Supervisors Prof. Milton Diamond Dr. Gomathi Sitharthan Prof. Lindy Clemson. THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY.

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Young Trans or Gender Diverse People The Needs of Gender Variant Children

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  1. THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Young Trans or Gender Diverse People The Needs of Gender Variant Children AuthorElizabeth Anne Riley (PhD Cand) MA(Couns) BScSupervisorsProf. Milton Diamond Dr. Gomathi SitharthanProf. Lindy Clemson

  2. THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY “Adult clients seeking help for Gender Dysphoria [cross-gender identification] have generally lived traumatic existences for years and the process of transitioning is often ‘tortuous and conflict-laden’” (Diamond, 2002) Diamond, M. (2002). Sex and Gender are Different: Sexual Identity and Gender Identity are Different. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 7(3), 320-334

  3. Definitions • Gender: Psychological, behavioural, or cultural characteristics associated with maleness or femaleness. • Gender Expression: the way in which a person acts to communicate gender • Gender Variance (GV) : Non-conforming gender expression or behaviour. • Gender Identity: An internally felt sense of gender. The self-image or belief a person has about their gender as being female, male, both, or something altogether different.

  4. Gender Roles:roles allocated to people as female or male generally based on their anatomy at birth • Sexual orientation: The internal experience that determines who we are physically and/or emotionally attracted to. • Gender Dysphoria: an incongruity between a person’s physical birth sex and their felt sex and gender identity. • Gender Identity Disorder:A psychiatric diagnosis based on distress due to Gender Dysphoria

  5. Transgender:Anyone whose gender expression and/or identity does not fit into the traditional notions of “male” and “female”. • Transsexual: A person born with the physical characteristics of one sex but the gender identity of the opposite sex.

  6. Methodology: Online Survey with 3 parts. • 1:Parentsurvey : • their experiences, responses, challenges and support requirements in rearing a gender variant child • 2: Transgender Adult survey • their experiences, difficulties, needs and impact in being a gender variant child • 3:Professional survey: • their understanding of the issues gender variant children and their parents face.

  7. Aims of the study • Highlight the issues • Identify support needs of GV children • Identify support needs of parents. • Recognise ways of marginalisation Longer term objectives • Contribute to trans-positive guidelines • Contribute to curriculum for education programs • Reduce bullying of children • Contribution topositive mental health

  8. Parent Participants

  9. Demographics

  10. PARENTS

  11. Parent’s statements “There are constant tears at night time and begging her angels to turn her into a girl. We knew it was serious when she told us at six years of age that she wanted to die so she could come back and be a girl as she was supposed to be.”

  12. Parent’s statements “[We are aiming to cope with] his distress and wishes… [we were] trying to do the right thing for him while being unsure what the right thing was” and… “If I try to steer him away from it [gender variance] will it damage him because he feels that I don’t approve of him???”

  13. Parent’s statements “A lot of these people believe we are making him gender variant or worsening the situation by buying him girl’s stuff. Therefore, [they say] it’s our fault, that we are irresponsible parents. They don’t understand these kids don't choose to be different, they just are.”

  14. Parent’s statements “The reality of how the world views my child and how she's being treated by society breaks my heart.”

  15. Parent’s statements “Every day he asks me to take him to the doctor so he can cut his willy off, so he can be a girl.”

  16. Parent’s statements “[We were] told we had to wait until she had completed puberty, by which time she had assured me she would have killed herself. This has placed a massive financial burden on our family to pay for treatment that should have been available by choice.”

  17. Adult Transgender Participants

  18. Demographics

  19. ADULTS

  20. ADULTS

  21. Adult’s statements “[I was] very scared - I had never heard of anyone else having such feelings. I thought if I told anyone they might put me away in some mental institution. I dared not even tell my parents.”

  22. Adult’s statements “I tried to talk with my mother about my ‘problem’ but it was too difficult for her. I was sent to a private all-boys school. As if that would ‘cure’ me… [It was] the only time I have endured beatings… I was definitely not cross-dressing at school. Somehow people just knew… I will never get over that.”

  23. Adult’s statements “My folks were brought up with the closed mentality of gays go to hell, and that boys cannot be girls and vice versa. Nothing can and will ever change their beliefs.”

  24. Adult’s statements “by the time I was 11, I'd come to the conclusion that there was just something innately wrong with me, like I was some kind of cosmic joke, and I already had depression, low self-esteem, and suicidal tendencies”

  25. Adult’s statements “I was late reaching puberty but when I did it was the worst thing ever. I didn't tell anyone I'd started menstruating so each month was going through torment trying to cope with bleeding without any sanitary towels (I couldn't bring myself to buy any). I detested my body and became more and more isolated and withdrawn.”

  26. Adult’s statements “The constant fear of being beaten was difficult to live with, but by high school I discovered how I could make myself feel better: I could become the person everyone expected me to be - and I was soon playing a sport (water polo) and learning how to 'be a man'. This was, of course, when I was around other people. When I was alone, my gender issues would often overwhelm me”. .”

  27. Adult’s statements “Most medical professionals I have spoken to about the subject have no idea at all, and tend to want to use you as a study subject, rather than offer professional help.”

  28. Adult’s statements “Knowing there were others would have made me feel less of a freak.” “SOMEBODY, ANYBODY noticing my difference and understanding what it meant!”

  29. Professional’s input

  30. Professional practice data

  31. PROFESSIONALS

  32. NEEDS OF GENDER VARIANT CHILDREN

  33. Needs of Gender Variant Children • Heard • Accepted • Professional access • Peers • Information • Not be bullied, blamed, punished, attacked or marginalised discriminated • Expression of gender • Safety • Support

  34. NEEDS OF THE PARENTS OF GENDER VARIANT CHILDREN

  35. Needs of Parents of Gender Variant Children • Information– books, guidelines, research, schools • Education – In schools and the community generally • Professionals – to be educated and aware of the options • To have a diagnosis and treatment pathway • To have peer support: access to other parents • To have emotional support and counselling for themselves and their family • For society to be accepting • To see, meet and know transgender people • To have guidelines in schools • To have access to puberty delaying hormones • To have politicians/leaders with awareness of the issues

  36. Publications • Riley, E. A., Wong, W. K. T., & Sitharthan, G. (2011). Counseling Support for the Forgotten Transgender Community. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 23(3), 395-410. • Riley, E. A., Clemson, L., Sitharthan, G., & Diamond, M. (2011). The needs of gender-variant children and their parents: A parent survey. International Journal of Sexual Health, 23, 181-195. • Riley, E., Clemson, L., Sitharthan, G. & Diamond, M. (E-Print). Surviving a gender variant childhood: The views of transgender adults on the needs of gender variant children and their parents. Sex & Marital Therapy Journal • Riley, E., Clemson, L., Sitharthan, G. & Diamond, M. (2011). Professionals’ views: The needs of gender variant children and their parents. International Journal of Transgenderism 132, 54-63.

  37. References • Diamond, M. (2002). Sex and Gender are Different: Sexual Identity and Gender Identity are Different. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 7(3), 320-334 • Lev, A. (2007). Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines for Working with Gender-Variant People and Their Families. The Haworth Clinical Press. Binghampton, NY 13904-1580. • Pfaefflin, F. and Coleman, E. (1997) Introduction. International Journal of Transgenderism, 1(1). • http://www.cartoonstock.com/search.asp?x=a&keyword=playgrounds&Category=Not+Selected&Boolean=Or&Artist=Not+Selected&submit=Search • http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228CP3PGE8H

  38. THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Enquiries: elizabeth.riley@acap.edu.au

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