Children and Gender: Growing Up Trans by Frontline PBS Review

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In today’s world, there is a distinct difference between gender and sex, the spread of which is especially important. Increasingly people are faced with the problem of identifying themselves as male or female. As a consequence of this fact, adults have an opportunity to make a transition to living a life that is most comfortable for them. This phenomenon is called transgenderism, and the knowledge about it is expanding every day. A particular part of this aspect becomes the desire of minors to change their gender, which is a reasonably new case. The documentary “Growing Up Trans” becomes a valuable source of information about what it is like to realize at an early age that one identifies with a specific gender and how important a role family and close people play in this process.

This paper analyzed a documentary called “Growing Up Trans.” It tells the story of several cases of children who decided at an early age that they wanted to identify with the opposite gender. However, this kind of choice is met with quite a severe social backlash, as it is believed that at this stage of development, such critical decisions can be ill-considered. For example, in the film, the mother of one of the transgender children spoke of how they were met with doubts not only from strangers but also from close relatives and acquaintances (FRONTLINE PBS). Regardless, listening to the child’s experiences and having conversations to gain understanding and awareness of the decision to become transgender becomes most important.

The cinematography tells the story of the decision to change gender not only on the part of the minors but also on the part of the parents. This is due to the fact that the family, in this process, plays the role of support and assistance that may be needed on the path of young people. In addition, this social institution contributes to the construction of an understanding of gender and gender norms, as well as helps a child to determine these values. Families and schools better support kids “growing up trans” by providing them with all kinds of information about this topic and letting them know that it is not a problem or anomaly. A particular emphasis in the film is placed on the gender binary and the reproduction of gender stereotypes. Therefore, it explicitly distinguishes that gender is a biological characteristic of a person, while gender is how individuals identify themselves. An example could be the fact that one of the characters was born male, but he defines himself with the pronouns she/he, which are the characteristics of the female gender (FRONTLINE PBS). Regarding gender stereotypes, the film emphasizes that there is a new generation growing up that is destroying the concepts and norms characteristic of the past generations regarding gender and sex.

Thus, the problem of gender identity and gender is a phenomenon that concerns people of all ages. The distinctive feature for children who go through this process is the integral role of support and encouragement from family and loved ones. In my community, there has been no discussion of these issues, which I find negative because awareness of the topic is critical to the development of society and equality. This film, by providing new insights, has provided the knowledge that gender is an issue and can be addressed even at an early age.

Work Cited

Growing Up Trans (full documentary) | FRONTLINE.” YouTube, uploaded by FRONTLINE PBS, 2021, Web.

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