Gender Diversity and Non-Binary Presentations in Young People

Report: Gender Diversity and Non-Binary Presentations in Young People

Published by: Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, April 2019

SUMMARY

The number of young people openly identifying as transgender has risen significantly over recent years. There has also been a rise in the number of people identifying as "non-binary". This might include people who identify as gender neutral, and those who move between genders or whose gender fluctuates over time and context. There are also people who identify as a specific third gender.

This pilot study, carried out by a clinical psychologist and a research psychologist, aimed to capture the different ways young people who accessed the UK's National Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) identified themselves with regard to gender and how their gender identity was expressed. Clients aged between 12 and 18 presenting to GIDS for their first assessment were asked to complete a questionnaire, with 251 taking part over the eight-month period.

The 251 young people reported 47 different gender identities, which the researchers grouped in five categories. More than half - 56.9 per cent - included the word trans. Almost three in 10 - 29 per cent - were categorised as "binary" because they only used words which related to the binary construct of gender such as male or female. Eleven per cent reported an identity that was outside the concept of male or female, and were categorised as non-binary. This included identities such as genderqueer, genderfluid, non-binary and agender.

More than a third - 34 per cent - of young people assigned female at birth said the most important way they expressed their gender identity was through external appearance such as clothes, style and hair. For 30 per cent using their chosen name and pronouns was important, and about a quarter said their physical body was an important way to express their gender with nearly 18 per cent specifying binding their chest. Intrinsic factors such as confidence, personality and self-understanding were cited by three per cent.

For those assigned male at birth, external appearance, including clothes, make-up and hair, was also the most important factor in how they expressed their gender. For 23 per cent using their chosen name and pronouns was important, and 16 per cent cited intrinsic factors such as personality and self-confidence. In all, 15 per cent cited the importance of their body in expressing their gender, and 11 per cent talked about other factors such as social media, sexuality and arts.

Media was the most important factor that had influenced the way young people experienced or understood their gender with 12 per cent reporting social media had helped them gain understanding around their gender and 14 per cent reporting TV programmes and documentaries had done this for them. Nineteen per cent said their own inner feelings were the biggest factor while 14 per cent cited supportive family and friends. Eleven per cent said meeting other trans people was the most important factor and the same proportion said feeling they were in the wrong body had the biggest influence on their experience of gender, with puberty being a particularly significant time. Another 10 per cent said professional help, including therapy, research and books, had been the most important influence on their understanding and experience of their gender.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The researchers say the idea that a trans person is someone who has been "born in the wrong body", present both within the general population and in trans communities, is a narrative not all trans people connect with. They say their findings show a variety of factors impact on young people exploring their gender.

FURTHER READING

Sex Ratio in Children and Adolescents Referred to the Gender Identity Development Service in the UK, Natasja de Graaf and others, Archives of Sexual Behaviour, April 2018

Non-binary or Genderqueer Genders, Christina Richards and others, International Review of Psychiatry, January 2016

Prevalence of Adolescent Gender Experiences and Gender Expression in Germany, Inga Becker and others, Journal of Adolescent Health, July 2017