It was a primal scream that went right through me and sent distress signals to my heart. My beautiful 4-year-old daughter stood up in the bathtub as though she were possessed. "Mommy, I'm supposed to be a boy. God made a mistake!" she screamed through heaving tears.

As I shake the science instructor's calloused hand I hope he really understands. Did he take it to heart when I described how gut wrenching it is for Sam to hear the words, "Pick a lab partner"? How hard it is to be put in that position? The odd man out because nobody wants to be paired with that kid who "...used to be a girl."

Students at a Batesville, Miss. high school are protesting because they believe that a transgender classmate is receiving “special treatment.” ...

The Colorado-based parents of a 6-year-old transgender girl are taking legal action after their local school district opted to prohibit their daughter...

On the latest installment of "Katie," host Katie Couric interviewed three transgender children, taking an in-depth look at their deeply personal (and ...

For my transgender child and thousands like him, the simple act of relieving themselves in a public restroom at their school is a source of stress, confusion, violence, endless meetings and even lawsuits, just because they identify with a gender that differs from their biology.

Nicole was 10 years old, openly attending school as a transgender girl, and Valentine's Day was right around the corner. One evening Nicole came home, and while we were preparing dinner, she announced that there was going to be a father-daughter dance at the town recreation building.

The average coming-out age has declined from 20-something in the '80s to somewhere around 16 today, and there are many who come out younger -- in some cases far younger. Both the LGBTQ community and society at large need to be thinking about how to meet these kids' needs.

When Nicole decided to become her authentic self, I was startled and unsure -- but time, education and counseling have made our parent/child relationship stronger than ever. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our extended family.

At a time when sensationalism seems to generate high ratings, exploiting the subject of transgender people could be tempting, but that was not our experience.

Last week, after five years of struggle, pain, hard work and hope, a Superior Court judge ruled that the Orono school system did not violate the Maine Human Rights Act when it prohibited my daughter Nicole from using the restroom that matches her gender identity.

As the mother of a trans man, I have a hard time dwelling on the fact that hate could drive a person to murder someone like my son. I know what all of us who love our children know: that if you really knew them, you could never hate them. But the fear of what could happen never really goes away.

I'm sure you can imagine how my prejudices were perpetuated once we realized our child was transgender. I was certain that all Republicans would deny my child his rights, that religious friends would shun us and that seniors would never be able to understand. Tsk, tsk.

Earlier this week the East Aurora School District passed a policy that would provide key supports to trans youth. Soon thereafter the Illinois Family Institute urged people to complain about the policy, and today the East Aurora school district might very well rescind that protective policy.

As would be expected, having a child undergo such a transition caused numerous issues within the Tyler family, at school, in their community, and at work. Sarah Tyler graciously took time to share with me the journey her family has traveled.

For the past few years we have had an increasing number of elementary schools contact us with reports that their teachers and school staff were "freaking out." The cause for alarm? The new enrollment of a transgender child or the gender transition of an already-enrolled student.

When your child is transgender, do you err on the side of full disclosure, thereby risking rejection, or do you proceed without exposing your child's biology, because it really shouldn't matter, right? Such was the case when Sam went to camp for the first time as a boy.

Sam was 10 years old, and deep down we knew what we were dealing with; we just hadn't said it out loud that often, and when we did, it was only between my husband and me. That was the same year Oprah aired her first show on transgender children.

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.