by Shula Asher Silberstein
A new special about transgender childhood issues is set to air on August 31, 2011. The special, which is an episode of the Primetime Live news series, interviews three transgender children and adolescents, their families and experts on transgender issues.
Stories like this are important not just for the mainstream population, which may not be aware of the issues transgender individuals face in childhood and beyond, but also for transgender kids and teens. 33 percent of transgender adolescents attempt suicide, many after being kicked out or otherwise rejected by their families. Hopefully, the special will help show these kids and their parents that there is nothing wrong with them and that they deserve the same happiness as everyone else.
The special explores the lives of three transgender youth: two trans girls and one trans boy. One of the trans girls is pre-pubescent and will soon be taking medication to stop her body from developing male secondary sex characteristics, while the other is a young adult who is traveling to Mexico to have feminizing surgery. The trans boy is an adolescent who is taking testosterone to help his body match his gender identity.
These topics may make some parents uncomfortable. If the special explores them appropriately, however, it may help parents to understand why allowing children as young as ten to express their gender identity is not only proper parenting, but is psychologically and medically necessary for these children.
The special also profiles Charles Kane, a confused rich person who was able to bypass normal medical channels to have a sex-change operation without exploring his actual gender identity and then had a second procedure to change back to male. It’s unfortunate that Kane, who had more money than common sense, is profiled at all. Bigots love to hold him up as an example of how all transsexuals are unhappy, confused people who should not be allowed to change sexes. The truth is that Kane was never transsexual to begin with and didn’t take the time to explore his gender identity before rushing into surgery. Conversely, transsexual people often spend years working with therapists to clarify their gender identities and must save up for their operations. Hopefully the special will neither spend much time on Kane nor suggest that these children will have experiences anything like his.
The special airs on August 31, 2011 at 10 p.m. Although some parents may feel the material is inappropriate for children, any parent who has questions about his child’s gender identity should watch it with the child and discuss the child’s feelings about gender.
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