Early Findings From the TransYouth Project: Gender Development in Transgender Children

Abstract Despite a dramatic increase in the number of socially transitioned transgender children (children who identify with the gender opposite their natal sex and who change their appearance and pronouns to align with that gender identity), few studies have examined transgender children's gender development. Findings from the TransYouth Project, the first large, longitudinal study of socially transitioned transgender children, suggest that the gender development of socially transitioned children looks similar to the gender development of their gender-typical, gender-matched peers and gender-typical siblings. In this article, we review findings from the few studies that have addressed this topic, connect these studies to past research, and discuss ways to foster deeper understanding of gender development among transgender children.