Support for parents and relatives

When gender issues impact a family, it can be deeply distressing time for all involved – not just parents, but siblings and extended family, too. But you don’t have to go through this alone. Our comprehensive support package gives you the tools to get through these trying times.

The Gender Dysphoria Support Network

The Gender Dysphoria Support Network (GDSN) is an international group that aims to offer support to families of individuals affected by gender dysphoria. The main purpose of the GDSN is to help parents and families that have been impacted by gender dysphoria. We do this by holding regular online meetings and by providing information, understanding and encouragement to our members. We meet in small groups so that everyone has a chance to speak, should they wish to. The GDSN recognises the difficulties presenting the person with gender dysphoria and their parents, however the GDSN also offers help and support to siblings, adult children, spouses, friends and the extended family.

Thankfully there are many support networks offered today, we recommend you join them all and find the support that suits you best.

The following steps have been devised so as to outline how parents can best support themselves through this difficult time. To begin with we like to remind parents that:

You are the world’s #1 expert in your child

Step 1: Join us

You’ll be able to sign up to our semi-vetted Community Forum, where you can meet other parents and relatives in similar situations. For some, this may result in new initiatives: for example, you might find other parents locally, and work together on a letter-writing campaign. For others, it’s simply a matter of having someone else to talk to.

Our Community Forum is a growing space – and it’s not just for parents. We hope more and more professionals will continue to join, such as journalists and concerned clinicians. With your help, we can build a vibrant space where stories can be shared, helping the wider world understand what is going on in families like yours.

You’ll also receive email updates with our latest news, as well as advance notification of upcoming events.

Step 2: Get some guidance

Our Genspect Brief Guidance is designed with you in mind, whether you are a parent of a gender-questioning kid, a sibling, an extended family member, or a friend. You may also find it useful to give copies of our Brief Guidance to those around you, to help them understand how they can best support you and your family.

Step 3: Find a support group

As an international alliance of organisations, we represent a number of different parents support groups which have been formed precisely to help people in your circumstances. These groups are mainly online: some are geographically specific, while others provide tailored assistance for particular cases, such as parenting gender-questioning boys and young men.

There is often a process of vetting you will have to go through before you can join a group, to make sure that your identity remains private. We strongly suggest that parents and family members avail themselves of this kind of support: for many, it has proven to be a lifeline.

We also have guidance available on starting your own group, whether you intend to provide in-person support, or a start and online support group.

Step 4: Get the facts

Knowledge is power – particularly when you are confronted with a situation which seems to come from out of the blue. The resources below will enable you to speak with confidence on the issues that really matter.

Step 5: Read up

Millions of words have been written on the topic of transgenderism: it can be hard to know where to start. We’ve picked the best written materials to guide parents and loved ones through turbulent times.

Step 6: Watch and listen

The documentaries and interviews below offer helpful insights into the phenomenon of transgender identities. No person is an island: we all exist within a wider culture. These resources will help you understand that culture, how it developed, and how we can seek to change it.

Step 7: Find out about our events

Genspect has successfully hosted a number of online events, all viewable via our YouTube channel. These webinars aren’t just about sharing information: they’re a means of communicating to the wider world that we represent a large, and growing, community of diverse individuals who share the same concerns.

And we have more in the works. Visit our events page via the link below to watch our past conferences and find out what’s coming next. You’ll be the first to know.

Step 8: Let us advocate for you

Sometimes, parents need more direct assistance. A school may be undertaking the social transition of your child without your consent, changing names and pronouns behind your back. A therapist may be inadvertently pushing your child further towards medicalisation.

We have worked with many families to advocate for their point of view. Our dedicated team can provide you with specific, tailored advocacy, making sure your voice doesn’t get lost. 

Follow the link below to find out more about our Advocacy Programme. You can read testimonials of the work we’ve undertaken, and take the first steps to having us fight your corner.

Step 9: Share your story

Genspect parents have spoken on mainstream outlets in the UK and in Australia, as well as appearing on dozens of podcasts and on radio. Here’s one Genspect parent, Jessica Fishburn, bravely telling her own story on the UK’s GB News:

If you’re willing to speak up publicly, we can help. We can put you in contact with journalists who can bring your voice to a wider public. Write to us via the link below to get started:

If you’re looking to safeguard your anonymity, you can still tell the world what’s happening in your family. Our sister website, Genspect Unheard, offers parents and relatives the chance to speak in their own voices, and using their own words. Check it out via the link below – and consider adding your own story.

Step 10: Grow our community

By following us on social media, you’ll help us build the profile of families like yours. We want to dispel the myth that parents who are concerned about their kids’ transgender identities are few and far between – but we can only do that if you get engaged. We’re available on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

And finally…

Speak up: we’ll stand by you.