Parents nationwide share stories of their children’s gender transitions in support groups.
For the first 19 years of Andrew’s life, ”he was all boy—literally all boy,” his mother, Marie, told The Epoch Times.
But in college, the socially awkward teen began to find friends in an LGBT group, said Marie, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her identity and her son’s.
Then suddenly, “he came out to me when he was 19 and told me he was a woman trapped in a man’s body,” Marie said. ”To tell you this was a shock is an understatement.”
Related Stories
- California Assembly Approves Nation’s First Transgender History Month – 9/12/2023
- Florida Transgender Ban Survives Court Challenge for Now – 9/12/2023
Andrew is one of thousands of young adults and children with similar stories that make up the accelerating nationwide phenomenon of transgenderism.
Marie blames online influences as a key factor in persuading her son he was a woman. Other parents of children identifying as transgender echo that sentiment.
Their painful revelations have been documented in a new book called, “Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans: Tales From the Home Front in the Fight to Save Our Kids.”
Influencing Sex-change
People who identify as transgender often speak publicly, especially on social media, about the rejection they’ve faced from family.
However, testimonies in the PITT book suggest that, often, the opposite response is true, and acceptance is offered.
In their essays in the PITT book, parents talked about how schools, peers, and their own families supported their children in newly announced ”gender identities,” at first.
They began to object, they said, when they began to witness changes they felt were harmful to their children.
Some LGBT activist groups, including The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), say that gender transition helps transgender-identifying individuals feel more aligned with their identity or appearance.
But eventually, all the parents in the book say they discovered that their child’s transgender identity wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed to be.
Social confusion, search for belonging, mental disorders, and other factors played a part for their children, the parents wrote.
It’s Not ‘Political’
Some politically liberal parents in the book strongly support transgenderism and their children trying on new sexual identities.
But all the parents in the book said they felt sure, either right away or eventually, that their children weren’t transgender, after all.
It’s not an inherently political issue, Josie said.
“But it’s become political,” she said. And it’s because “our country is so divided that if one political party takes a stance, the other is going to do the opposite.”
Meredith recalled thinking, “What’s the big deal?” when she first heard news reports about men who identify as women using women’s restrooms.
But when her daughter announced her transgender identity, she knew it wasn’t right, she said.
‘Pot of Misery’ at End of Rainbow
Often, when children declare themselves transgender, they rewrite their past to fit their perceptions, parents in the PITT book said.
Lydia’s son revised his entire childhood, she told The Epoch Times.
As a little boy, he didn’t cross-dress, show interest in stereotypically feminine activities, or indicate a transgender identity in any other way, Lydia said.
Now, he often insists he exhibited feminine behavior from an early age.
“He’s absolutely gone back and changed things to say, ‘See, I always felt this way,'” she said.
In her written account in the book, Lydia says she grew up in a religious cult. Eventually, she “logic-ed” her way out, she said. Currently, she works as a scientist.
She’s alarmed watching her son enter what she sees as a social movement that resembles a “God-less cult,” she said.
Some stories told in the new book describe children severing ties with parents as they pursue sex-change procedures.
Hearing the stories of other parents was, at first, encouraging and “incredibly validating,” Marie said.
But eventually, seeing the number of children identifying as transgender wore on her, she said, as she read posts shared on the PITT group’s pages.
“I honestly can’t even read the stories anymore,” Marie said. “Can this madness just stop already?”
Andrew still identifies as transgender, Marie said. He has dropped out of college, hasn’t spoken to his family in months, and struggles with depression, she said.
“This is what happens at the other end of the rainbow,” she said. “It’s not a pot of gold. It’s a pot of misery.”
Hannah sees a good therapist now, Meredith said. After a long absence, she’s talking with her parents again.
“She hasn’t had any surgery,” she said. “But she hasn’t walked away from it. And she’s still on T. I have hope that she will walk away.”
Josie advises parents with children struggling with gender identity not to leave them alone with other adults, whether online or in person.
“As a family, you can do family therapy, but never let your child alone with an adult,” she warns. “You don’t know if they have nefarious intentions.”
How did parents in the book “Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans” feel about their children redefining their identities and erasing their previous experiences?
“female” activities, or express any dissatisfaction with his gender. But after coming out as transgender, he began to claim that he had always felt like a girl trapped in a boy’s body and had exhibited signs of it from a young age.
This rewriting of the past is a common theme among parents in the book. They expressed a sense of bewilderment as they watched their children redefine their identities and erase their previous experiences. It is a painful process for parents who feel like they are losing their child to a new persona that they no longer recognize.
Furthermore, many parents highlighted the role of mental disorders in their children’s gender confusion. Anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues were prevalent among the children in the book. Some parents even suggested that the trend of transgender identification could be linked to the rise in mental health problems among young people.
The book also shed light on the divide within the LGBTQ+ community itself. While some parents in the book were politically liberal and supportive of transgenderism, they still felt uncertain about their own child’s transgender identity. It demonstrates that this issue transcends political affiliations and should be approached from a more nuanced perspective, with a focus on the well-being of the individual rather than political ideologies.
In conclusion, the phenomenon of transgender identification among young adults and children is a complex and multifaceted issue. The stories shared in the book “Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans” highlight the challenges faced by parents as they navigate their children’s gender identity journey. It emphasizes the need for open, honest discussions about the factors influencing gender confusion and the importance of supporting individuals in finding their true selves.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
