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How to Show Support to a Transgender Family Member

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As of April 2011 a study showed that there are more than 700,000 transgender people in the USA.[1] Most people fail to know that there is a difference between an individual's "assigned sex" and "gender identity". Although one may be assigned male or female at birth, they may not think of themselves as that gender. In this article there will be a step by step explanation on how to show support to a transgender family member.


  1. 1
    Don't rush them. If a family member has recently told you that they are trans, the best thing to do is not rush them. They have most likely had a very hard time speaking up about being trans, so don't ask them a lot of questions at once. Let them talk as much as they would like and then wait until they bring it up again before asking more questions.
  2. 2
    Try to learn as much as you can about transgender identities. The more knowledge you have of the situation the more you can help your family member.
  3. 3
    Don't forget this is a hard time for everybody. As difficult as it may be for you, it will be twice as hard for your family member. It will definitely help them out if you don't go telling people about their transition. Let them tell who they want when they are ready.
  4. 4
    Change gender pronouns according to their preference. In time, your family member may feel they would like to be referred to as other pronouns. Try to respect their wishes and do the best you can. If you make a mistake, don't keep apologizing; just move on and forget it happened.
  5. 5
    Be respectful of name change preferences. Also in time, your family member may choose to change their name. Don't be mad that they are changing their given name. It will be hard adjusting to the new name but it will become easier with time.
  6. 6
    Remember to support your trans family member as much as you can. It may seem like they are a whole new person but in fact they're not. They are just who they are meant to be and will surely be happier.

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  • As tempting as it may be, do not use the asterisk in "trans". It is used to imply that the term "transgender" by itself does not include transgender women and non-binary people.

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Categories: Friends and Family of LGBT | Improving Sibling Relationships


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