World's largest study of trans youth shows gender identity equally strong for trans and cis youth

The largest study yet on transgender children in the U.S. sheds light on how strongly they identify as a boy or girl.

Researchers wanted to know whether transgender kids connect to their gender in the same way as non-trans (cis-gender) kids.

Their finding: yes, they do.

The study on 800 kids in the U.S. was conducted by University of Washington researcher Selin Gulgoz and her colleagues.

"We found that 3- to 12-year-old transgender kids show strong identification with their current gender," regardless of the sex they were assigned at birth, Gulgoz said.

Kids who are transgender or cis-gender both show strong preferences for toys, clothing, and who they want to be friends with, in ways that are typically associated with their current gender, Gulgoz said.

The peer-reviewed study also shows nuances in gender presentation, such as highly-feminine or tomboy traits, regardless of whether kids are trans or cis-gender.

Gulgoz said it indicates children don't simply learn about gender based on their upbringing at home and their assigned sex at birth. She said children take in broader social messages about the gender they feel they are.

It's part of an ongoing study that's following hundreds of trans children as they age.

It's the largest study to date on the experiences of early-transitioning children’s gender development.

Researchers interviewed 300 transgender kids nationwide and 500 kids who are cis-gender. The cis-gender participants were either a sibling or live in Seattle where the researchers are based.

It was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.