This article was published on November 5th, 2022

Trans Parent Day was created in 2009 as a day to recognize and respect transgender parents around the world. Trans Parent Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in November as a substitute for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. It is meant to support parents and recognize that parents come in all forms, from the traditional to the unconventional.

Trans Parent Day Sheds Light on Community

The Williams Institute at UCLA published a review of the literature on transgender parenting in 2014. Questions were posed that are not often even addressed and have now been released to those that live outside trans families.

• How frequently do transgender persons have children?
• What is the average age of transgender parents?
• Do transgender women or transgender men bear children more frequently?

The research reveals the following:

Contrary to common assumption, many trans persons are currently parents in the US. Approximately one in three trans persons are parents, despite having a lower rate of parenthood than cisgender people. The numbers are shocking to some, but the fact remains that most people have never even thought about the trans community as they are often living on the margins of society. 

Although there is no agreement on whether trans persons are more likely to have children than cisgender LGB people, research on older trans people revealed that trans women are just as likely to be parents as bisexual men and women. Moreover, it also concluded that trans males are just as likely to be parents.

Only one out of five trans-masculine and non-binary individuals are mom and dad, compared to more than half of trans women who are mothers. Currently, trans males are more likely than trans women to live with their children.

Last but not least, those who made the shift later in life have more excellent parenting rates than those who made the transition earlier since several trans parents had kids before coming out and transitioning and having children after coming out as trans is harder.

Dispelling Myths About Trans People

The claim that having a trans parent might harm a child’s development is frequently made by transphobic persons who think trans people shouldn’t have children. Although it’s unlikely that transgender individuals can’t be loving parents, it might be true.

Distance from those parents, which can occasionally occur after divorce or if the other caregiver doesn’t respect their partner’s gender identification, is the most frequent cause of stress in children of trans parents.