“Transition saves lives”: suicide or transition?

This is a very sensitive topic. If you are here because you have suicidal thoughts, please know that there are those who love you and want you to live. You can contact Samaritans here, or please talk to others in your life as soon as you can.

It is commonly said that transitioning saves lives; many parents, especially, are convinced that their child will kill themselves without transition. That places parents in a terrible dilemma. All we can do here is present you with the facts as we see them.

Some studies suggested young trans people were more likely to have suicidal ideation than non-trans people. These studies were thoroughly debunked as unscientific, being based on a self-selected group. The evidence suggests that after transition, many people are as suicidal, or more suicidal, than before.

Partly this is because the transition has often been promised and seen as a solution to other problems; many young people don’t understand that they are unlikely to “pass” in their new identity and that they may well find it harder, not easier, to get a partner. 

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