How stable are the gender identities of younger children?
A study finds that one in five who switch gender change their mind
WHEN KRISTINA OLSON began studying children who had transitioned from one gender to another in the early 2010s, there were not a lot of them. Social transition (living in a new gender, with no medical intervention) was still controversial for minors. A new understanding was taking hold, however: that trans children know who they are, and that there is therefore little reason to delay. An increasing number of parents followed suit and socially transitioned young children—in some cases, as young as three.
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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Fluid identities”
From the September 20th 2025 edition
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