Summary

The Trans Youth Project followed 317 US and Canadian children who had fully socially transitioned (changed name, pronouns and presentation) between ages 3 and 12. About five years later, 94% still identified as trans, 3.5% as nonbinary and 2.5% as their birth sex; 7.3% had changed identity at least once. By the end, about 60% had started puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. The authors concluded that switching back is uncommon. Children in supportive, mostly well-off volunteer families usually kept their new identity. But there was no comparison group of similar children who did not transition, so the study cannot say whether this reflects the children or the transition itself. Zucker and others argue early social transition may itself lock in identity, a question the Cass Review's evidence review treated as unresolved.

Key findings

• 完全な社会的トランジションをした子ども317人（トランス女子208人、トランス男子109人）が、2013年から2017年に3～12歳（平均8歳）で研究に参加しました。
• 最初のトランジションの約5.4年後、94%がトランス男子または女子と自認し、3.5%がノンバイナリー、2.5%（8人）が生まれつきの性別を自認していました。
• 7.3%は少なくとも1回は自認を変えており、その中には後にトランスの自認に戻った1.3%が含まれていました。
• 6歳より前にトランジションした子どもは、後に生まれつきの性別を自認する可能性が高くなっていました（5.6%対0.5%）。これらの変化の大半は10歳より前に起きました。
• 終了時には、92人が思春期ブロッカー（思春期を一時停止させる薬）を、98人が異性ホルモンを開始しており、グループの約60%が医学的な道を進んでいました。
• 家族は、子どものトランジションの平均1.6年後に参加し、26家族（8%）は直近2年間連絡がありませんでした。
• 追跡時に14歳以上だったのは70人だけだったため、結果の大半は思春期の前、または初期に測定されたものです。

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Concerns about early childhood social transitions among transgender youth include that these youth may later change their gender identification (ie, retransition), a process that could be distressing. The current study aimed to provide the first estimate of retransitioning and to report the current gender identities of youth an average of 5 years after their initial social transitions. METHODS: The current study examined the rate of retransition and current gender identities of 317 initially transgender youth (208 transgender girls, 109 transgender boys; M = 8.1 years at start of study) participating in a longitudinal study, the Trans Youth Project. Data were reported by youth and their parents through in-person or online visits or via e-mail or phone correspondence. RESULTS: We found that an average of 5 years after their initial social transition, 7.3% of youth had retransitioned at least once. At the end of this period, most youth identified as binary transgender youth (94%), including 1.3% who retransitioned to another identity before returning to their binary transgender identity. A total of 2.5% of youth identified as cisgender and 3.5% as nonbinary. Later cisgender identities were more common among youth whose initial social transition occurred before age 6 years; their retransitions often occurred before age 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that retransitions are infrequent. More commonly, transgender youth who socially transitioned at early ages continued to identify that way. Nonetheless, understanding retransitions is crucial for clinicians and families to help make retransitions as smooth as possible for youth.

Conclusion

These results suggest that retransitions are infrequent. More commonly, transgender youth who socially transitioned at early ages continued to identify that way. Nonetheless, understanding retransitions is crucial for clinicians and families to help make retransitions as smooth as possible for youth. The authors caution against over-interpreting differences from older desistance studies, note that identities 'should not be interpreted as final', and say parents and clinicians should be informed that not all youth will continue on the same trajectory.