Parents of Non-binary Children: Stories of Understanding and Support

ABSTRACT

Parents of non-binary children undergo profound changes as they learn to first understand and then support their child. The question guiding this study was: what are the stories parents of non-binary children tell about how they came to understand and affirm their child? This narrative study provides a definition of non-binary gender, a review of peer-reviewed literature on therapy with children and adolescents who identify as transgender or non-binary, as well as narrative findings from three mothers of non-binary children ages 8 −11. Stories of parents confronting core beliefs, stepping into leadership, and feeling like they do not fit in or belong in ostensibly supportive spaces are presented. Relevance to narrative therapy is highlighted as well as the need for more research on family processes that enact support for transgender and non-binary children.

KEYWORDS:

• Non-binary
• transgender
• youth
• mental health
• family therapy
• narrative

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).