Supporting Gender Identity in Early Childhood: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Parenting a Gender Variant Child Under Age 6 Years

The specific problem addressed through this qualitative research study was the lack of understanding of the lived experiences of parents of gender variant preschool children and the resources those parents need to help create affirming environments for their young children. Butler’s queer theory/feminist poststructuralism was the theoretical foundation of this research study. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of parents of gender variant children under the age 6 years and to determine the supports and services these parents need to help them create and maintain safe and affirming environments for their children. Transcendental phenomenology was used as the research design while nonprobability purposive sampling was employed to recruit and interview 11 participants. Moustakas’s modification of the van Kaam data analysis method was used to determine five main themes of study: parents provided their children with support and affirmation; parents protected and advocated for their children in a variety of circumstances; parents initially experienced negative emotions regarding their children’s gender identities; parents found support in family members, friends, and/or the community; and parents needed help finding and accessing professional services for their children. The social change implications of the research study included creating a more textured understanding of parenting gender variant young children and clarifying the need for increased LGBTQIA+ knowledgeable practitioners in pediatrics, mental health, education, and social services to provide support to children and their families.