A new conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) has found that 53 per cent of adults in the US would support their teenager’s request to transition to another gender.
The survey found that women (58 per cent), college graduates (56 per cent) and residents of the Northeast of America were most likely to support their child’s transition.
Laura Arrowsmith—who is a doctor of osteopathic medicine at a transgender clinic in Oklahoma— that parents have a significant role to play in raising transgender kids.
“Once they get on board—often after stages of denial, rejection, condemnation and grief—they become powerful advocates at school and with extended family,” she said.
“This is crucial to the child’s well-being.”
A statement from the AOA says that rejection from family and community are considered the main catalysts for issues faced by transgender people including homelessness, substance abuse and depression.
Dr Arrowsmith added that parents need to educate themselves on gender dysphoria, gender identity and the complexities of living transgender in order to best support their kids—saying that support groups can often be turning points for families with trans children.
