Recognising Gender Dysphoria / Transsexualism

Symptoms

Childhood

Boys may show a marked interest in traditionally feminine activities. They may prefer dressing in girls’ or women’s clothes. A boy who openly admits wanting to be a girl is likely to be ‘corrected’, made fun of or told off severely. He is expected to grow out of it quickly. A girl who wants to be a boy and expresses this is less likely to invite such criticism. She may be labelled as a tomboy, but is still expected to grow out of it.

Some families are better than others at accepting their children’s behaviour. Some children live openly in their chosen gender role, but have to endure the taunts of their peers as well as pressure from their parents.

Others cope by hiding their feelings and learning to play the gender role assigned to them, meanwhile going deeper into a private world of fantasy and desire and cross dressing.

<<< Watch the online videos called "My Secret Self" on "Trans Children", this informative documentary presented by USA ABC's Barbara Walters goes some way to showing that children recognise their innate (brain) sex very early on in life.

On to Adolescence >>>