Helping Families Support Trans Teens in the US South

What is it about?

This study explores the real-life challenges faced by a 17-year-old transgender boy growing up in a conservative, religious, biracial family in a small town in Louisiana. His story reflects a much bigger issue: how families, schools, and religious beliefs often make it hard for transgender people—especially young people—to live openly and safely. The teen's parents struggle to accept his gender identity due to their strong religious beliefs, and he faces bullying and isolation at school. These are not just personal problems—they’re part of a bigger pattern of gender-based violence and discrimination that transgender people experience across society. To better understand these issues, the study compares this teen’s experiences in the U.S. with research from South Africa, where Black trans women also face violence and rejection. Both studies show that rigid ideas about gender—especially those shaped by religion, racism, and cultural norms—can cause harm and prevent trans people from being accepted or feeling safe. But the study doesn’t stop at just describing the problem. It also explores a possible solution: a type of family therapy that helps change harmful family dynamics. This approach, known as Haley’s Model, works by helping families recognize and shift the power imbalances and outdated gender roles that are getting in the way of supporting their child. While the model isn’t originally feminist, it helps achieve feminist goals by promoting respect, equality, and self-determination. The therapy helped the family begin to move toward acceptance, showing that practical, culturally-sensitive tools can make a difference—even in challenging environments. The study calls for feminist work to include not just theory and critique, but also hands-on methods that help real families and communities become more inclusive and supportive of trans people.

Featured Image

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In a small town in Louisiana, a 17-year-old transgender boy is trying to navigate his identity within a family rooted in conservative Baptist beliefs. His mother is white, his father is Black, and together they are struggling to understand and accept their son’s transition. He faces rejection at home, bullying at school, and fear of being ostracized by his community. His story is personal—but it’s also political, and it echoes the experiences of countless trans youth across the United States. This study matters deeply in the American context because it highlights what many already suspect but few explore in depth: that trans youth, especially those living in religious or rural communities, often experience a unique and layered form of gender-based violence. These young people are not just fighting to be seen—they are fighting to survive in families and schools shaped by racial, religious, and cultural forces that often erase or punish gender diversity. What makes this study stand out is that it doesn’t stop at naming the problem. It offers a path forward. By using a structured therapy model adapted to this family’s cultural and religious context, the study shows that change is possible—even in environments that seem closed off to gender inclusivity. Rather than trying to argue families out of their beliefs, the therapeutic process focuses on reshaping family dynamics and shifting power in ways that open space for empathy, respect, and ultimately, acceptance. This practical approach gives therapists and counselors a much-needed tool to work with families who might otherwise turn away from their trans children. But the story doesn’t end in the United States. Across the ocean, in South Africa, researchers have been studying how Black trans women experience structural violence—from families, from institutions, and from society at large. The parallels are striking. Despite different histories and cultures, the root issues are the same: rigid gender norms, cisnormativity, religious control, and racial hierarchies. By drawing on this global research and applying it to a U.S. case, this study makes an important contribution to the international conversation on trans rights and feminist practice. It shows us that while the details of oppression may differ across countries, the systems that uphold gender-based violence are interconnected. And so, too, must be our solutions. The paper calls for a feminism that doesn’t just critique, but also acts—a feminism that works across borders, listens to trans voices, and develops real tools for change. By bringing together global research and local practice, this study builds a bridge between theory and action, between critique and care. In both domestic and international contexts, the message is clear: trans lives are worth protecting, and families—when supported—can be powerful allies in that work.

Perspectives