In his Oscars acceptance speech, screenwriter, Graham Moore, encouraged adolescents to “stay weird and stay different.” As transgender youth across the nation feel confused and different, Kids In The House experts would like to echo Graham’s statement and help parents support and understand their children better. Dr. Johannah Olson, the Medical Director for the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, explains it’s hard to know how many children and adults are transgendered but it has shown to be as high as 1 in 100 people in some studies. Below are three tips from Kids In The House experts to help you better support transgender children both in your home and across the country.

1. Listen to your child.

Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Diane Ehrensaft, explains that the most important thing to do is to listen to what your child is trying to tell you. If your son starts telling you he is a girl, don’t tell him he is wrong. Listen to exactly what he is saying and then seek professional help to see if what your child is saying could mean they are transgender. "If your child is transgender, then we will find ways to support your child the best they can be, as the gender they are,” says Dr. Ehrensaft. Dr. Olson also encourages every parent to love and support their children no matter what there circumstance may be.

2. Seek online resources for support.

There are many online resources which can help parents better understand transgender youth and how to help them. Dr. Olson shares that there are groups that work specifically with families with gender non-conforming children. Many of these groups have call centers where parents can talk with other individuals going through similar situations. These resources also help kids connect with other kids who have the same feelings. GLAAD and the National Center for Transgender Equality provide great resources and help for families.

3. Understand the difference between sex and gender.

Lastly, it’s important for parents to understand and differentiate between gender and sex. Educational specialist, Kevin Jennings, explains that sex is a biological fact and gender is a social construction. “The problem for transgender kids often is that their gender expression does not match what other people think it should, based on their biological sex,” he explains. “That is where they tend to run into difficulties because people tend to be very unaccepting of people whose gender expression doesn't match up with what people think it should, based on their biology.” This is also important to know because just because a child is gender non-conforming, does not mean the parent should also assume the child is homosexual. While the two are often related, it is not automatically the case.

Do you still have questions? Please visit Kids In The House to learn more about how to help your transgender child.

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