Study: 10% of teens identify as gender diverse

A study published in Pediatrics found 1 in 10 US teens identify as gender diverse, with this figure being 5 times higher than the national estimate. The report, titled Prevalence of Gender-Diverse Youth in an Urban School District, interviewed teens from 13 different schools across Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to ask how they identified, giving the options: ‘girl,’ ‘boy,’ ‘trans girl,’ ‘trans boy,’ ‘genderqueer,’ ‘nonbinary,’ or ‘another identity’.

Out of the 3,168 students who took part, 291 participants (9.2%) reported that their sex assigned at birth differs from their gender identity. Out of those who identified as gender diverse, 30% described their identity as transmasculine, while 39% of respondents said they were transfeminine. An additional 31% identified as non-binary.

Lead researcher, Dr Kacie Kidd, said previous studies did not “encompass the breadth of gender-diverse identities we see, particularly in young people”, adding: “Not everyone who is gender-diverse identifies as transgender.” A 2017 version of the survey only asked participants if they identified as trans, to which they could answer ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘I’m not sure’.