Transgender Children

There’s a really in depth piece in this month’s Atlantic about the growing movement to honor the wishes of transgender children and all the complexities therein. Though I don’t claim to be anything near an expert on this issue, I thought that writer Hanna Rosin did a commendable job of bringing in plenty of diverse opinions and exploring so many different angles (and truth be told, I was shocked that the usually stodgy Atlantic devoted so much precious real estate to the issue).
She looked at the sociological, biological, and psychological implications of transgender children’s rights through the story of one fascinating family living in a very conservative, small town. Tina, the mother of 8-year-old Brandon (who wants to be Bridget), had never even heard the terms “transgender” until Barbara Walter’s special on the topic aired.
(I have my own beef with Barbara. While I admire her long and groundbreaking career, I sort of feel like she can’t help but simplify most complex feminist issues into shock-and-awe nonsense. See her recent special on “the pregnant man.”)
In any case, the article shows the ways in which this 8-year-old’s mother and father come to grips with their child’s gender nonconformity. They find community at the Trans-Health Conference, consider the pros and cons of hormone blockers, and experiment with letting Brandon be Bridget when they get back to their tiny town. It’s not easy, as you might imagine, but I thought it was beautiful portrait of a family’s honest struggle.
I leave you with my favorite moment in the story:

Nothing can do more to normalize the face of transgender America than the sight of a 7-year-old (boy or girl?) with pink cheeks and a red balloon puppy in hand saying to Brandon, as one did at the conference:
“Are you transgender?”
“What’s that?” Brandon asked.
“A boy who wants to be a girl.”
“Yeah. Can I see your balloon?”