Eight-year-old Jamie chose a new name, a new wardrobe, and asked everyone to use they/them pronouns. Two years later, Jamie uses different pronouns with different people and has changed their mind about which parts of their appearance feel right. Jamie’s journey is not unusual — it’s part of a growing picture of how transgender young people navigate their identities, according to new research from Melbourne.
A landmark study following 234 trans youth, ages 8 to 17, shows that social transition is rarely a straight path. Instead, it’s a shifting, personal process shaped by family, school, and self-discovery. Led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and published in The Lancet Regional Health—Western Pacific, the study is the first to track how trans young people’s goals change over time — at home, at school, online, and with friends and extended family.
The findings challenge the idea that every trans child follows the same journey. Some add new goals as they grow; others scale back. Younger children were more likely to expand their social transition over time, while trans boys were more likely than trans girls to meet their goals. Supportive families — especially those with open communication and problem-solving skills — made a big difference. Overall, more than half of the young people consistently achieved the changes they wanted.
But the gap for trans girls stands out. Dr. Pip Buckingham from MCRI says this signals a need for deeper understanding: "With trans girls less likely to achieve all the changes they desire, greater attention should be paid to understanding the reasons behind this gap. We need to create environments where trans girls and trans women are supported and safe to live as their true selves."
Another study found that nonbinary youth are also growing in visibility. Between 2017 and 2023, the share of nonbinary young people at specialist gender services in Australia rose from 14.2% to 39%. Despite often feeling less need for medical changes, nearly all wanted some form of body adjustment — most commonly to their chest, breasts, or voice — and almost all sought social affirmation through name, pronouns, or appearance.
In a third study of over 700 trans and gender-diverse Australians, researchers found that gender euphoria — the joy of living as your true self — is common, with most people feeling it at least once a week. But the source of that joy varies. Nonbinary people found more euphoria in community connection, while those who accessed hormones or surgery reported stronger feelings of self-affirmation.
Together, these studies paint a clear message: there is no single way to be trans. As Dr. Michelle Tollit from MCRI puts it, "Gender affirmation is not one-size-fits-all." The future lies in listening, adapting, and making space for every young person to explore who they are — today, and tomorrow.