1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The present study aimed at gaining an understanding of the issues and challenges experienced by parents of gender-variant children in the process of supporting their children’s gender identity and expression while they grow. Furthermore, by using a participatory action research methodology, the study also aimed at providing these parents with a safe space to discuss their experiences, identify challenges on a personal, social, and political level, and frame direct action-oriented solutions according to their own collaboratively identified goals.» (p. 41-42)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«A total of 14 [Montreal] parents of gender-variant children participated in the study.» (p. 43) Les données ont été recueillies au moyen de discussions de groupe.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«All participants embraced the idea of accepting and loving their children for who they are, despite the many challenges this entailed. Perhaps for this reason, parent–child relationships appeared to be very strong in the group. Although all parents practiced affirmative parenting at the time of attending the group, it took some time to accept. […] Accepting their children and supporting them can therefore lead to challenges for participants, who often experience their own struggles on the basis of gender difference but of their children’s and not their own. Indeed, participants noted that while they accepted their child, others outside the home did not always support their acceptance. […] These parents also highlighted other difficulties encountered in the course of protecting and supporting their children, many stemming from a societal lack of awareness of gender variance. Specific challenges, including finding support in the community, encouraging school staff to respond to their children’s needs, and accessing general medical services, were all underpinned by the invisibility and the lack of knowledge about gender-variant children, the core category of our grounded theory analysis. This lack is in some ways unsurprising.» (p. 55-56)