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When your kid tells you that they are
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transgender, what do you do?
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Forty-one percent of transgender adults
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have attempted suicide,
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mostly as an adolescent or young adult.
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Parental support can dramatically reduce
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the risk of suicide
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by three and a half times,
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but many parents are terrified of doing
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the wrong thing.
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So what should you do when your child
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tells you that they are transgender?
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The first thing to realize is that there
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is a very good chance the child is right.
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In nearly all the studies I am aware of,
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no child regretted transitioning.
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I've spoken with two nationally recognized
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endocrinologists that work with trans kids
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and they are aware of only one case of
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regret in the thousands they have treated.
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Additionally, I have never met a single
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person who has transitioned and regretted
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it.
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I have never a parent of a trans kid
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who regretted letting their kid
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transition.
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I've only ever met parents who regretted
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not letting their kid transition sooner.
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Regardless of their identity, in the end
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you have two choices:
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reject or accept their declaration.
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If you reject them,
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no matter the end result,
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you will contribute to their harm
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and increase the risk of mental illness.
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Studies have shown that regardless of
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what happens outside the home,
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familial support can literally
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save your kid's life!
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Familial support reduces suicide
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by three and a half times
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and substance abuse
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by two and a half times.
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If you as the parent
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reject your child's identity,
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you are the largest
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and most negatively-impactful bully
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in your child's life,
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more so than any and potentially ALL of
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the bullies at school.
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That is, when your child say something
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to you about their identity,
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and you say no,
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you are telling them that
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they cannot trust how they feel,
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they cannot trust you to listen
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and hear them,
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and they cannot trust themselves.
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That creates an
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invalidating childhood environment,
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and invalidating environments are hotbeds
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for the formation of many serious
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mental illnesses that can last a lifetime.
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If you choose to affirm their identity
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no matter the end result,
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you are telling your child that
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they can trust you,
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that they can confide in you,
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that they are allowed to trust themselves
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and their own feelings,
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and that you trust them to learn
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and figure themselves out.
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This is part of how you build
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a healthy parent-child relationship.
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A reminder:
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Up to forty-one percent of trans adults
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have attempted suicide at least once,
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most as kids.
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If you reject their
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declaration of identity,
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you increase this risk of suicide.
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If you affirm them, you reduce the risks.
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And so much so that in one study,
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socially transitioned children
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with supportive families
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reported depression rates
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indistinguishable from cisgender youth.
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It is also important to keep in mind
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that by the time your kid
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brings this to you, the parent,
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they have probably spent months
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or maybe years
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crying themselves to sleep at night
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wondering if you will still love them.
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This declaration to you is not a whim.
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This is a well thought-through statement,
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and in this moment you have
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a rare opportunity to show your kid that
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they can trust you,
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that they can confide in you.
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In the end,
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you as the parent have the choice:
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you can either increase the risk for harm
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and suicide by rejecting them,
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or you can dramatically reduce that risk
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by affirming their identity.
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It is your choice.
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Don't be your child's first bully.