Parents, Youth Leaders and Trans Teens
When I was leaving my teens and entering my 20s, I don’t think I knew anyone who identified as transgender. I’m not sure I would even have known what that means. Today, about a decade later, I can pretty much guarantee that any teenager in your family or church will know at least one, and quite possibly more than one, of their peers who identifies as trans or non-binary. In just this short time, trans-identification has become a huge phenomenon among young people, and the understanding of sex and gender among young people has changed radically.
Against this background, many parents and youth workers are left wondering what’s going on, what to think of it, and how best to help their children and young people to navigate life in this cultural context. Some will also find that the topic comes much closer home when their own children start questioning their gender of identifying as trans.
Sadly, despite the fact this has become such a prominent phenomenon among young people, there are very few good resources, and especially Christian resources, available to help parents and those working with young people.
That’s why I was really pleased to recently be invited to teach an introductory session on transgender for parents and youth leaders. It’s only a starting point, but I hope it will be helpful for those seeking to best parent, lead, and love young people.
You can watch the video of the session below and head over to the Living Out website for an outline of the talk, notes, and recommended resources.