Something that the anti-trans brigade says a lot is “let kids be kids” and I must admit, I agree with them. Childhood and adolescence is a vital time in anyone’s life, it has a profound impact on how we navigate the world as we get older and allows us to shape our future in what little ways we can. Part of being a child is about exploring new things, trying out new situations, making new friends and getting into new hobbies. Some children want to cut their hair short or wear a skirt or play with dolls or toy cars.

Allowing young people to explore who they are is an integral part of growing up and is an invaluable life experience. My mother wouldn’t let me cut my hair short until I was in secondary school. She hated that I wanted to wear jeans instead of dresses and always lamented that I wasn’t into dolls. As I grew older and developed a greater understanding of the world I realised that I was a boy, and that all the hopes and wishes I had in childhood to be a boy was due to my being transgender.

Parents, caregivers, and other such figures have a duty and an obligation to protect their children from harm - this begins in the home. Allow your children to express themselves, allow them to go by different names or wear their hair differently. Protect your children by letting them be who they are, keep your children safe by giving them the space to explore their identity.

As children get older and become teenagers and young adults then there are options for puberty blockers, surgery, and HRT - things that are not options for children, but while they’re kids let them express their gender how they feel most comfortable.

You cannot make a child trans any more than you can make them straight or gay or tall or cis, but you can make them feel loved and respected. There’ll be a lot of pain in your heart when your trans kid becomes a trans adult and refuses to talk to or see you, don’t let your bigotry get in the way of your relationship with your children and more importantly don’t deny your child the right to exist in the way they need to.

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