MY CHILD IS TRANS* – WHAT NOW?

The psychological distress experienced by transgender children and adolescents is immense – it can even lead to suicide. This becomes particularly evident when puberty begins: the developing sex characteristics are distressing because they do not align with the child’s perceived gender. Doctors can change a person’s physical sex through hormone treatments and surgery – a gender transition that, for many transgender people, is a decisive and life-changing step.

However, these procedures can have side effects such as infertility or an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
That’s why children and parents should be confident that the gender identity is stable before beginning therapy. There are phases during childhood and adolescence when kids explore gender roles – without actually being trans*.
So how can one tell the difference? And what is truly best for their child?

Filmmaker Renate Werner accompanied three families with transgender children as they faced these difficult decisions.

TEAM

Written and Directed by: Renate Werner // Camera: Tarja Kühne, Renate Werner // Editing: Jan Wilm Schmülling // Graphics: Andreas Hougardy // Sound: Dirk Vollenbroich // Sound mixing: Florian Ebrecht // Color correction: Dany Schelby // Assistant editors: Mathis Hohmann, Anastasia Wagner // Speaker: Yvon Jansen // Production assistant: Alican Tamkan // Producer: Tanja Winkler // Production management: Katja Sträter, Andreas Hausmann (SWR) // Executive producers: Sarah Zierul, Thomas Weidenbach // Commissioning editors: Niels Waibel, Anne Holländer (director)

Produced by Längengrad Filmproduktion on behalf of SWR in cooperation with Arte