‘I know who I am’: Transgender youth on the value of support, respect for their identities

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• Amna Nawaz:

  Well, transgender rights have been front and center for the last year.

  And, in the next few weeks, a new law will take effect in Texas banning transgender student athletes from playing sports that match their gender identity. According to the ACLU, Texas is one of 31 states that's introduced or passed similar legislation. And studies show even the debate over limiting trans rights takes a toll on mental health for trans youth.

  First, Alice Scott from our Student Reporting Labs talks to two teens in Texas.

• Jake Waggoner, Austin, Texas:

  I'm just a normal teenager, and I'm figuring out what my normal is.

• Alice Scott:

  Jake Waggoner, a ninth grader in Austin, Texas, came out as transgender in November of 2020. His process of both forming and forging his identity was a normal part of his adolescence, much like Wednesday Gomez, a 10th grader also from Austin, Texas, whose views on gender and sexuality have also recently become more clear.

• Wednesday Gomez, Austin, Texas:

  I'm nonbinary, which means I'm not a boy or a girl, and I don't really identify with either of those things. I'm kind of everything and nothing at the same time.

• Alice Scott:

  Many teens and their families are learning the value of self-discovery. According to national surveys from the CDC, the percentage of young people ages 15 to 17 who identify as non-heterosexual grew from just over 8 percent in 2015 to nearly 12 percent in 2019.

• Jake Waggoner:

  I had a really hard time like being able to be happy before I came out. Like, I was sort of like, yes, I am happy, but I'm not being myself and being happy at the same time, which felt really off for me.

  Even though I don't know a lot of things right now, as a younger person, I know who I am.

• Alice Scott:

  The process of coming out looks different for each person who goes through it.

• Wednesday Gomez:

  Mentally, I have just been a lot happier because I feel I have always tried to keep this in my own head, because I didn't really know what it was or how to explain it. But then, when I came out, I was just like, OK, and I felt so much more mental freedom.

• Jake Waggoner:

  I have been feeling so much more connected to myself and represented in my life. And every time someone refers to me correctly, it just really helps me feel very much secure and grounded in my identity.

• Alice Scott:

  With more than three out of four transgender and nonbinary youth experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder last year, many are looking for more support.

  Raini Gomez, Mother of Wednesday Gomez: I think today's youth are really aware of the fact that they don't have to fit into a box.

• Alice Scott:

  Families can model supportive behavior for others to follow, such as using gender-inclusive language, respecting pronouns and avoiding dead-naming, the use of the person's former name, to better create an open dialogue and promote acceptance.

  Sarah Waggoner, Mother of Jake Waggoner: It's not about you. Your job is to show up and love your kid unconditionally. Your sweet baby is the same, like, sweet baby that you always had and watched grow up. The transition doesn't undo or make them a different person.

• Alice Scott:

  Having a supportive community can give transitioning teens an open space to communicate and express what they need to feel safe.

• Wednesday Gomez:

  I think it's important for everybody to express themselves and just live as the person that they want to be.

• Jake Waggoner:

  It's OK to not know who you are, and you will figure it out eventually. And it's important to feel supported, even if you aren't quite sure what you need to be supported in quite yet.

• Alice Scott:

  For the "PBS NewsHour" Student Reporting Labs, I'm Alice Scott in Austin, Texas.