Advice for Families

Document: Canadian families in transition guide by CTYS (PDF, 28MB).

If you have this guide in hand, your child may have just come out as trans – transgender or transsexual. This is big news, and you are likely feeling some of the common feelings parents initially report: shock, disbelief, fear, grief, anger, or shame. You might feel like your world has been turned upside down. You might feel very alone. You might have a lot of questions. That’s why we wrote this guide.

In the following pages, we share experiences of other parents, answer commonly asked questions, suggest questions to help you and your child talk further, offer ways in which you can help your child, and point you towards additional sources of information.

The most important thing you can do for yourself and your child right now is to take a breath, and continue reading. The more you know and understand, the better able you will be to move forward.