“Accepting a Transgender Child Is to Improve the Way One Lives on This Planet”: Support and Acceptance Trajectories of Parents of Transgender and Gender Diverse Children

Abstract

Research on how parents’ experiences with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents is sparse, especially in Latin American countries, like Colombia. This study aimed to describe the processes that parents follow when recognizing and raising TGD children and adolescents. A qualitative study was carried out with a convenience sample of 14 parents, through a semi-structured interview about significant beliefs and behaviors regarding their TGD children. Exploratory inductive narrative analyses of the transcripts and the trajectories of beliefs and behaviors of the parents interviewed were conducted. Four significant phases were identified among the representative themes: (1) initial recognition of the child’s TGD status, (2) mobilization, (3) acceptance and coping, and (4) looking ahead. The results are discussed in relation to international research and recommendations for applications of the findings are made.

Keywords:

• Trajectories
• gender identity
• parent–child relationships
• upbringing
• transgender people
• gender diverse people

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

The current study was not pre-registered before data collection or data analysis. The data represent original data, collected by the first author, FGG, for which there is no citation. The data is not shared within a repository, as consent for such sharing was not obtained from participants at the time of data collection, and the data is of a sensitive nature. To obtain access to the data, please contact the first author via e-mail to request access.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.