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In the News

Transgender at five

“I am a boy,” she insisted at age 2. It became a constant theme in struggles with her parents, who eventually concluded she wasn’t just a tomboy. Then, they had to figure out how to handle it.

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Tyler, 5, gets a haircut in March in his family's Maryland home. His parents allowed him to present himself as a boy when he was 4, after he was diagnosed with gender identity disorder. The Washington Post took a number of steps to protect the identity of Tyler and his family, including not publishing details about where they live and go to church and school in the Washington area. We used only the middle names of Tyler's parents and sister to protect their privacy outside their community, where their situation is widely known.Tyler's name in the story is the one his parents would have given him if he'd been born a boy. We are publishing photos of Tyler with his parents' permission.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Tyler revels in his identity as a boy. He began insisting he wasn't a girl at the age of 2. Eventually, a psychologist who specializes in treating the transgendered diagnosed gender identity disorder. The psychologist recommended that Tyler be allowed to live as a boy.

Tyler revels in his identity as a boy. He began insisting he wasn't a girl at the age of 2. Eventually, a psychologist who specializes in treating the transgendered diagnosed gender identity disorder. The psychologist recommended that Tyler be allowed to live as a boy.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Tyler rejected the frilly pink dresses his grandmother sent when he was younger. When he was 3, his mother sat down with a toddler-version of an anatomy book and showed the cartoonish drawings of a naked boy and girl. 'See, you're a girl. You have girl parts. You've always been a girl,' she explained. Incomprehension clouded the preschooler's round face. 'When did you change me?' the child asked.

Tyler rejected the frilly pink dresses his grandmother sent when he was younger. When he was 3, his mother sat down with a toddler-version of an anatomy book and showed the cartoonish drawings of a naked boy and girl. "See, you're a girl. You have girl parts. You've always been a girl," she explained. Incomprehension clouded the preschooler's round face. "When did you change me?" the child asked.

Family Photo

Tyler, seen posing in a Batman costume, doesn't really like to talk about his earlier existence as a girl. 'I'm not transgender,' he fumes when he hears the word, often spoken by his mom as she explains things. 'I. Am. A. Boy.'

Tyler, seen posing in a Batman costume, doesn't really like to talk about his earlier existence as a girl. "I'm not transgender," he fumes when he hears the word, often spoken by his mom as she explains things. "I. Am. A. Boy."

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Tyler spins in a turtle shell during a recent visit to the Baltimore Zoo. His mother doesn't believe he is going through a phase, although doctors say many children with gender identity disorder eventually switch back to their biological gender.

Tyler spins in a turtle shell during a recent visit to the Baltimore Zoo. His mother doesn't believe he is going through a phase, although doctors say many children with gender identity disorder eventually switch back to their biological gender.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Tyler rides his bike in his neighborhood. If he wants to return to living as a girl down the road, his mother is fine with that. 'I just want my child to be happy,' she says.

Tyler rides his bike in his neighborhood. If he wants to return to living as a girl down the road, his mother is fine with that. "I just want my child to be happy," she says.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

The constant nagging, fighting, obsessing about being a boy is gone, his parents say. Tyler is just Tyler, a high-energy kid with a love of Spider-Man.

The constant nagging, fighting, obsessing about being a boy is gone, his parents say. Tyler is just Tyler, a high-energy kid with a love of Spider-Man.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

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