Gender-Affirmative Parenting

This chapter charts the rise of parenting practises that affirm childhood gender nonconformity and gender-expansive identities in modern Western society. The predominant focus is in the U.S., but these practises are first situated within a global sociohistorical context. Then, several major developments over the course of the 20th-21st centuries are discussed, including second-wave feminism, psychiatric research, and the LGBT+ rights movement. Next, the “affirmative turn” is covered, in which a new wave of parents and practitioners recognise and facilitate transgender possibilities and transitions for young children, a break from prior reparative approaches. The raced and classed intersections of these practices are also addressed. A more recent paradigm follows, “gender-open parenting,” where parents do not assign their children a sex/gender at birth and use they/them pronouns until the child expresses their own sense of gender. The chapter concludes by acknowledging the widespread resurgence of anti-trans political efforts, highlighting the importance of gender-affirmative parenting practices within the home.