Ross Jacobs, speaks out about Transgenders

[ReachOut.com]

[Ross speaks]
If your young person has come out to you as transgender, you might as a parent, be feeling really ill equipped to deal with it - because it's a complicated subject matter and we don't expect you don't know everything there is to know about transgender. 

[Talk to them: Connect with them, Ask them about how you can support]
The most important thing you can do is take a stance of I'd like to know more about what you're going through and please educate me, your parent, about how I can support you. Because chances are, your young person (before they've disclosed) has done a lot of research about what it is to be transgender. They may even have met other young trans-people online. Because we're finding over time that young people really take the initiative about reaching out and finding other young people that are going through transgender issues. The internet is a great way that these people who have often really huge geographical distance between them, are finding ways to support each other. Remember at that moment of disclosure that your young person's being really brave by letting you into this process for them and chances are it's not an easy journey. At the moment of adolescence, at the moment of the body changing, what can happen for young trans-people is that it feels like the body itself is turning against them. Because the changes they're seeing and experiencing every day are running completely contrary to the way they view themselves. And this can be really seriously impactful in terms of mental health in particular - because what can they trust if they can’t trust their own body? 

[What can parents do:  Get through the present, Who are the best people to talk to, Don’t get carried away about the future]
A really important role parents can play is helping the young person get through the moment right now and figure out what's best for them and who is best for them to talk to, rather than getting carried away with future processes.  Cause there is plenty of time for that stuff once your young person is feeling like they’re supported and safe.

Parents can be really important advocate for their young trans-person. And there’s often a process that can happen where communication between the young person and parents can involve a little bit of support, but a little bit of education too. A young person might be the expert here, rather than the parent. But sometimes young people also have gaps in knowledge, so there is a really healthy process that can happen where both parents and children are discovering together. 

Finding out that your child is transgender, or questioning their gender, can often be a shock for parents and it's really okay for you to seek your own support through this if you feel like you need it.

[Supporting yourself: Talking to peers, Seeking a professional] 
Talking to your peers might be ok, but often it's a professional in this situation can give you the advice you need, that can then in turn help you to be an advocate for your child in the most optimal way.  So your young person coming out to you as transgender is a sign that they really trust you and that they want you to be a part of this journey with them. So what's most important is that you're able to stand beside your child and really put them in the place of being able to lead the conversation and do the talking about what they need.


[ReachOut.com]
This video was produced with the help of 90seconds Productions on behalf of ReachOut Australia.