About this topic
Gender identity is the sense you have of your own gender: male, female, or neither. This may be the same or different than a persons physical gender or sex. Your physical sex is determined by your anatomy, chromosomes, and hormones. It is assigned to you when you are born and is based on your anatomy. Your gender identity is something you develop over time. You express gender by how you look, act, dress, and speak. ‚
Transgender means you are a person whose physical sex does not match your gender identity. Gender-queer people do not fully relate to either the male or female gender or may relate to both of them. It is important to know that your gender identity is about who you are. It does not decide to whom you are sexually attracted. This means your gender identity does not determine if you are straight, gay, or bisexual. ‚
General
People begin to get their gender identity at a very early age. Young children start to have a sense of being male or female by age 2 to 3. Around this time, children also start to think of the behaviors and roles of being male or female. Sometimes, even a very young child will express feelings of being in a body that does not match gender. A young boy may insist that he is a girl or a girl may ask when she will grow a penis like all the boys have. Other times, a person may start to feel a difference in how their bodies look and if they feel like they are male or female. ‚
Some children may identify with the other gender for just a short time. Others may continue to be transgender for the rest of their life. The most important thing family and friends can do is love and support the person. ‚
Some people who are transgender will choose to transition. This means to start to live life as the gender they identify with, rather than the physical sex they were assigned at birth. This can involve many things. ‚
- Changing their name and pronoun others use to talk to them
- Dressing like the gender they feel like
- Taking hormones to stop signs of puberty. This can be very helpful to give a young teen more time to decide about more permanent treatment.
- Taking hormones to make their body look like the other gender
- Surgeries to change the way their body looks
What problems could happen?
- Bullying
- Discrimination
- Mental health problems
- Suicide
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else
- Trouble eating or sleeping
Helpful tips
- Look for training, counseling, or help to learn more about gender identity and transgender people.
- Accept and respect people for who they are.
- Stand up for those who are mistreated or bullied because of gender identity.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Pediatrics ‚
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/pages/Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx ‚
American Psychological Association ‚
http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.pdf ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-11-05 ‚
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Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚