Transgender Kids

Society had graciously given us the "tomboy" label to justify our child's behavior, which we gladly used as a wishful excuse. But all too soon it became hard to ignore the earnest pleas for the McDonald's Happy Meal that included the boy's toy, or the innocent requests to wear male clothes.

Being transgender, bigender, genderqueer, or however you identify is amazing, and you should never be ashamed of how you identify. There are other people out there just like you who are happy, successful, and looking forward to meeting you! Never give up hope.

My transgender daughter Nicole is my mentor. It's tough to put into words what a profound impact this small person has had in changing my core values, but since the young age of 5, she has unknowingly encouraged me to open my eyes and heart to new ideas.

I had the happiest baby you ever saw. But when my beloved son, at the age of 4, told me that something had gone wrong in my belly and that he was supposed to be a she, I assured him that he was wrong. By the age of 6, Will was threatening suicide.

Some parents have tried to raise their kids without gender stereotypes, only to get accused of being hippies at best and downright abusive at worst. Tell me what's abusive about not shoving your kid into a box that says, "This is how you're supposed to act given your genitalia."

Gender-nonconforming kids need to know there are others like them. In the media they should be portrayed just like everyone else. At home they need to be accepted and loved, not forced into roles they can't fit. In schools they need to be treated with respect and dignity.

As we see the media's growing interest in transgender and gender-nonconforming children and their families, I can't underscore enough the responsibility of journalists who cover them and the issues related to these children and young people to get the terminology right.

CHICAGO -- A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and f...

I disagree with Elisabeth Hasselbeck quite often, but during the Jan. 25 episode of The View, she brought me to tears with her eloquent support of transgender and gender-nonconforming children.

I am often asked why -- if I felt like a boy since the age of three -- I did not come out as a child.

A year after sharing her letter with her daughter, now her son Marcus, Kathy updated her original note to reflect the journey she and her son had experienced together. It demonstrates the difference a single year can make.

In the face of ignorance and resignation threats from troop leaders across the country, the Girls Scouts of Denver held firm in their decision to allow Bobby Montoya, a transgender girl, to join. PFLAG National applauds and supports them.

By allowing Bobby Montoya to be a Girl Scout, the Girl Scout leadership has fulfilled its own written laws "to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible."

If your child has come out to you, you've been entrusted with a precious piece of his or her truth. You have a rare opportunity to become a hero, a champion for your child. You may actually be saving his or her life.

K-12 schools and colleges must take the lead in recognizing and educating about gender diversity. They must implement nondiscrimination policies inclusive of gender identity and expression to protect transgender youth.

This is the child to whom I gave a girl's name, imbued with my own girlish hopes, nurtured the mother-daughter bond that I had with my own mother. What was my relationship with this person if he is my son?

As everyone was getting settled into their separate conversations, I turned to Monica and asked about her kids, a daughter and a son. And that's when she told me her 18-year-old daughter was now her son, Dominic.