Just a generation ago, it was adults, not kids, who changed genders. But today, many children are transitioning, too — with new medical options, and at younger and younger ages. In Growing Up Trans, FRONTLINE takes viewers on an intimate and eye-opening journey inside the struggles and choices facing transgender kids and their families.
Filmmakers Miri Navasky and Karen O’Connor meet transgender children and their families who were willing to share stories of the struggles and choices they faced as they considered transitioning.
Skylar Kergil, aka "skylarkeleven," has clocked more than 7 million views on his YouTube channel chronicling everything from his testosterone treatments to “top surgery.”
Join our discussion with filmmakers Karen O'Connor and Miri Navasky; Dr. Robert Garofalo, from Lurie Children’s hospital; Christy Hegarty, the mother of Lia, 9, whose transition is featured in the film; and YouTuber, musician and activist, Skylar Kergil.
New medical options are allowing transgender children to start the process of transitioning at younger and younger ages. But doctors tread carefully, lacking research on some of the long-term effects.
There are things Isaac loves about being on testosterone -- growing more muscle, a deep booming voice. But for transgender young adults like him who have used the drug for their transition, there are downsides, too.
In his head, Alex Singh, sees himself as a strong, flat-chested guy with an Adam’s apple and a beard. But when he would look in the mirror, he would see the body of young girl going through female puberty.
“When I was younger, I didn’t really know what transgender was,” says Lia Hodson. Now, the former high school prom queen is among a first wave of children and young adults that is reshaping the transgender landscape.
