As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. This has been a sentiment shared down from generation’s past. However, it takes more than just a village. It takes love, it takes compassion, and it takes support. Want to know how to support trans youth? It takes all 3 of these of qualities.
In 2024, we are seeing in real time, a war on transgender and gender non-conforming young people. According to the ACLU, more than 500 anti LGBTQ bills were tracked in 2023. Many of these bills specifically targeted gender affirming care for trans kids.
Anti-trans rhetoric is spreading across the country like wildfire while trans kids are being stripped of their humanity and autonomy. It’s undoubtedly a scary time for youth in America. Some parents treat LGBTQ identity as though it’s an adult subject that’s not suitable for children. Additionally, they’ll conflate gender with sexuality even though they’re two separate things. I believe that this comes from a place of shame, ignorance, and fear.
When we bring children into this world, the goal shouldn’t be to turn them into a copy of ourselves. The goal should be to raise them to embrace who they are. Children aren’t property. They’re human beings with autonomy and free will.
Parents and loved ones can support their trans kids by simply affirming who they are. Instead of concerning yourself with what you *think* might happen, challenge yourself to look at things from their perspective.
Gender affirming care does not harm children. Numerous studies on trans identity show that it greatly improves mental health. Additionally, many major medical organizations agree that gender affirming care is medically necessary.
We cannot let our fear of what we don’t know drive how we raise the youth of America. Support the trans youth in your life by taking the time to listen to their experiences.
Throughout my teen years, I felt constricted by the social expectations that were placed onto me. For 18ish years of my life, I was assumed to be a Black boy and thus, treated like one. While I rejected masculinity, it was always pushed onto me.
Existing as a Black queer child means your queer identity is vilified and used against you by
society at large; you’re made to feel ashamed of who you are. LGBTQ+ identity within the
Black community is often associated with wanting to obtain a proximity to whiteness.
Due to cultural barriers experienced by Black LGBTQ youth, I was made to feel as though my existence was an inherent hinderance and inconvenience. Words can’t begin to describe the pain I felt having someone who outright rejected me while sharing the same skin color as me.
If parents want to truly support their children, they must take a step back and see their child as an individual and not solely a product of them. There’s a phrase that I use to guide me in my life – “Be who you needed when you were younger” – This is what drives me and everything I do. Adults can be so quick to assert their dominance on children through shame and embarrassment but if you were a kid, would you want to be treated that way?
Let trans kids live.
Ariel Mary Ann (she/her) is a local theatre artist and activist born and raised in the Cincinnati area. By day, she is an HIV health educator. By night, she’s a reviewer, playwright, actor, and musical theatre aficionado. You can often find her at various theatre productions around town. As a theatre artist, much of her work centers around issues exploring race, gender, sexuality, and what it means to be othered in America. She’s worked with The Know Theatre through their mainstage and underground programming, The Educational Theatre Association as a featured playwright, The Overture Awards as part of the adjudication team and has worked with The League of Cincinnati Theatres as a theatre reviewer and current co-vice president. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @thelittleblackmermaid_
