It is very normal for a parent or guardian to feel a little lost when faced with gender identity issues in their young people. There has been a sharp increase in the numbers of young people identifying as “trans” and the adoption of gender ideology across society is a major factor in this rise. As your teens navigate this new world, they may come across and adopt this ideology. This may come in the form of professing to believe that gender is fluid and can be changed, or may even result in a teenager wishing to change their gender. It can be very difficult for parents to oppose outside influences and we at The Countess believe being fully informed is the first tool in the toolkit for parents.
It is our core mission to produce accessible, legally and medically sound resources for parents and teachers to help them navigate this space, which can feel like a minefield. We examine the narrative, look at the data, and present it in a user-friendly way.
Unfortunately, many of the resources available to parents are produced by groups who are involved in lobbying and promotion of the transgender side of the argument. This can often mean biased information that promotes “affirmative” care and social and medical transition.
We developed this pamphlet following a very successful webinar entitled “Empowering Parents”. With it, we aimed to give parents, guardians, teachers and others who have a responsibility for young people vital information about this very important topic. The pamphlet gives background information around gender ideology and self-expression, explains common terms, and helps parents understand the complex issues at play. It is written in plain language and is easy to follow and understand.
At The Countess, we believe the parent is the foremost expert on their own child and will have their best interests at heart. That is not to say you as a parent will have all the answers, or that your teenager will always agree with you!
We hope you find this resource useful as you support your teenagers to grow and mature into the men and women of the future, and remember you are not alone in this.