When Americans Understand Child Development, They Support Trans Youth. (Keyword When)

Years of scientific research have repeatedly debunked the conservative myth that transgender children are too young to have a solid understanding of their identity, showing that trans and cisgender kids actually develop their internal sense of gender at the same age. The consensus among researchers studying child development is clear: believe trans children when they tell you who they are.Unfortunately, as with many issues that require a basic understanding of scientific research, many adults in the United States do not understand the fundamentals of child development, especially as it pertains to trans youth. More so, new research published in Communications Psychology actually shows that this lack of knowledge can actually lead people to support “autonomy-limiting anti-transgender legislation.” While researchers found through a series of written surveys that most adults in the United States have a limited understanding of child development, this doesn’t stop them from having strong opinions about how much agency their children should have over their own lives. The researchers, two psychologists from Clark University and Northeastern University, wrote that adults have varying opinions on when they believe gender identity develops in trans youth as opposed to cis kids, often believing trans youth develop their sense of gender later, which in turn impacts when parents believe their child is ready to self-determine their identity. The majority of the 200 adults surveyed believed that while cis children experienced important gender milestones by the age of five, they also believed that trans children develop their sense of gender later than five. These beliefs are held, researchers write, in spite of empirical evidence that has found trans and cis children hit gender milestones at the same ages“Transgender youth and adults are stereotyped as not knowing their own gender, while cisgender youth and adults are not,” the researchers wrote. “Moreover, adults oft