How might gender, sexuality, and expression affect my child or youth’s mental health?
Thinking about gender, sexuality, and expression is a process for the young person in your life. The teen years are all about figuring this stuff out—and when the way you look and are treated is misaligned with how you feel and see yourself, it can be anxiety-provoking, frustrating, and depressing. Sometimes, it can also lead to suicidal thoughts.
It’s important to keep in mind that every person’s journey of determining their gender identity, sexuality, and expression is different. Your child or youth might feel scared or nervous at various points in the process and might start to feel:
- Isolated from friends if they feel like they don’t fit in or are being teased for being unique.
- Confused, stressed, worried, and unsure about who they are and how they want to be seen. This can lead to feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.
- Distressed when others don’t acknowledge and respect their identity.
- Struggles around body image and how they “feel in their skin” if their body’s features don’t match their gender, including gender dysphoria.
- Like they can’t be who they are if they’ve experienced stigma, discrimination, bullying, rejection, hostility, or a lack of acceptance from others.
- Unsafe in certain situations or groups (including with families, religious communities, etc.) where they can’t share or express their gender, sexuality, or expression.
In some cases, these feelings can impact your child or youth’s mental health. In fact, many gender-diverse youth might also experience higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to their peers and face approximately 14 times the risk of suicide and substance misuse than their heterosexual peers since they might experience stigma, discrimination, and a lack of affirmation for their identity. Kids Help Phone, Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Trans Youthline, and One Stop Talk/Parlons Mainenant are all helpful supports that you can access with your child or youth if they’re in mental distress.
What is intersectionality and why is it important?
Understanding the complex relationship between race, culture and/or religion is important for parents and caregivers whose children or youth are exploring their gender, sexuality, and expression, especially for those who are Black, Indigenous or racialized. Each of these factors plays a significant role in shaping how a young person sees themselves and experience the world around them.
Law professor and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the concept of intersectionality, which refers to the way that the overlapping, intersecting identities a person holds can lead to unique experiences of discrimination or privilege. For example, a young transgender woman who is also a person of colour might face racism and stigma together. It’s not a simple “this identity plus this identity equals this,” but rather these identities interact in complicated and unique ways that sometimes produce very negative consequences for a person’s mental health and wellness.
Cultural norms, religious beliefs, expectations, etc., can sometimes lead to feelings of distress, rejection or isolation for children and youth who are navigating their gender identity, sexuality, and expression. As a parent or caregiver, it’s important to recognize that your youth’s experience is multi-faceted and complex, so it’s critical to help them find safe spaces that affirm all aspects of their identity.