Transgender Teen Survival Guide

Asked by thatwasverysillyofyou

transgenderbenders:

If you’re out to your parents, and they’re supportive:

Find out whether your school has any policies regarding trans kids so you can get a sense of how much cooperation you should expect. Get in touch with your guidance counselor (phone call if you want to get the ball rolling before school starts, or in person once school begins), or someone in charge who you trust, and let them know that you are trans. Tell them what changes you would like to have made (e.g. new name, new pronouns, using a different bathroom, etc.). The guidance counselor will often be willing to notify teachers for you, which takes some of the pressure off you and also makes teachers more likely to cooperate with calling you the correct name and pronouns. With the consent of your parents, you should also be able to get your name changed in the system so your preferred name can appear on your report card, yearbook, etc.

If you’re not out to your parents, or they’re not supportive:

This makes things a bit trickier. Find out whether your school has any policies regarding trans kids so you can get a sense of how much cooperation you should expect. Visit your guidance counselor in person, or someone in charge who you trust, and tell them you’re trans. Tell them you’re not out to your parents or that your parents aren’t supportive of you transitioning, and ask what can be done without your parents consent. Make it clear that you don’t want your parents involved in any way. Depending on your school, you may still be able to get teachers to use your preferred name and pronouns, and you may be able to use the correct bathroom. However, there’s also a chance that teachers will not be cooperative, so that’s something to be prepared for. Without parental consent, it can be harder to get the school to cooperate with your social transition.

Good luck! I hope it goes well!

-Jesse