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

• 317名完全进行了社会性过渡的儿童（208名跨性别女孩，109名跨性别男孩）在2013至2017年间于3至12岁（平均8岁）加入研究。
• 首次过渡约5.4年后，94%认同为跨性别男孩或女孩，3.5%认同为非二元性别，2.5%（8名年轻人）认同为其出生性别。
• 7.3%至少改变过一次认同，其中1.3%后来又回到了跨性别认同。
• 6岁之前过渡的儿童后来更可能认同其出生性别（5.6%对0.5%）；这些变化大多发生在10岁之前。
• 到最后，92人已开始使用青春期阻断剂（暂停青春期的药物），98人已开始使用跨性别激素，约60%的群体走上了医学途径。
• 家庭平均在孩子过渡后1.6年加入，26个家庭（8%）在前两年没有联系。
• 随访时只有70人年满14岁或以上，因此大多数结果是在青春期之前或青春期早期测量的。

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.