I'm not sure, but maybe those kids say "I want to be a boy/girl" because the things they like and resonate with the most are traditionally attached to the opposite sex. And they might be aware that they're not the opposite sex, so they feel like they can't be just the same in their own body since they're not expected the same stuff, nor treated the same, which cause distress about not fitting in.

Take for example a young girl who loves running shirtless with her male friends and when puberty hits her, she's asked to hide her body, to wear a bra, to stop being shirtless outside. That's a big change to adapt to and not understanding why might cause resentment towards one's body and womanhood in general. Jealousy toward male agency might happen as well, the desire to have a flat chest so you could "be just like them/free of a burden and sexualisation".

And more the kid is being forced into a role they don't like and their desires ignored, more sex dysphoria grow to the point of detaching themselves totally from their body and feeling a strong attachment to the body of those who are treated differently than they are. Everything about them tend to appear "greener". Growing up without being told that a girl can do the same as boys, simply being normalized by the sight of a woman's nudity without any sexual or maternal connotation because a woman shouldn't have a "context" to be shirtless, can play a huge role in sex dysphoria.

We should tell them that being a girl is more than they might think. That there's nothing wrong with them and that the world is just mad about girls being their authentic self. Having gender nonconforming role models could be really helpful as well, as it visually proves to those kids that people like them exist and are happy just the way they are as women and men.

You know. Today I had to tolerate my coworkers making comments about how certain clothes were "for boys" and others "for girls". One of them was interested in a pair of Jean and then paused, asking us if it was for women. We didn't know what to tell him. I personally just said it was just jeans, so either. But he ended up not taking them as if he was afraid of something. Stigma? Nobody would have ever noticed. Probably knowing it certainly was not "for men" felt wrong to him. But why is it wrong?

Another thing I noticed. A little girl with her mother. The mother pushed the girl to go towards the little pinky bike, but she ran for the Spider-man one. The mother ended up feeling uncomfortable and led her again to the pink one. If there's something wrong, it's clearly gender roles.

I'm a butch woman. I dress extremely masculine. After stopping using a binder and stuff to thicken my eyebrow/sideburns, I started to be seen as a woman regardless of my gender presentation. The judgment is real, but is it really worth being someone you're not to please others?

To be honest I think he started to get suspicious because his artificial genitals weren't like the others. Not only that, but visiting a doctor you don't even know why? His parents probably lied to him about why he would go there, but a teenager isn't stupid

For me, it was about getting comfortable being uncomfortable by being used to my naked body. I would workout shirtless, clean the house shirtless, cook shirtless. My mind has changed its way of thinking about the female body when I started to surround myself with butch lesbians. It made me understand that there's nothing inherently feminine or taboo about my body simply for having breasts. And I could behave however I want without being ashamed of them being in the way. They're a part of me. If it's too hard for you right now, you can start with wearing just a sports bra.

It did go away for me.

Desisted biracial here 🖐🏼 I know it can be hard to think that you're not "worthy" to be a woman when you're gnc, but something I've understood for the last months is that being a woman isn't something someone can take away from you. It's more than who we are or what we identify. It's what we are. In the goods and the bads. But it doesn't mean that we can't be who we want to be, woman is expansive 💪🏼

That's what I'm fearing. Growing up made me feel so concerned for kids. Seeing them and their parents in those kind of scenarios reminds me of when I was a kid myself. I didn't had the maturity to notice how wrong those actions were. Now that I do, I feel so powerless and it hurts to see those stuff and knowing most people won't take them into account, thinking it doesn't have any consequences because they're doing "what's right".

I had internalized homophobia and taking steps in the lesbian community completely changed my views around gender and sexes. I saw women who were body builders, women with short hair in whole suits who walked into rooms like they were the boss and worked in male dominated careers. Women who understood this masculine feeling that I had and they weren't ashamed or trying to hide their bodies because of it. They were embracing that side of them and proving that there were no barriers between men and women. Them being a working class, it also helped me feel more connected to them.

Interacting in those spaces more helped me change the way I perceived my body. How strong it was. That being female wasn't an obstacle to my goals.

Butch women were the representations I needed growing up and that's really the only thing I wish for our future. To see more gender nonconforming people in this world. Sometimes, that's the only thing a kid wish to see. That they're not abnormal for desiring something unusual.

After a while, my dysphoria simply totally vanished. Even if at first I had a hard time believing I could have the workout goals I wanted without hormones, I saw women who prove me otherwise so when my endocrinologist finally called after months of waiting, I responded that I didn't need him anymore.

I can understand how confusing things can be after a while of being used to an identity. Being homosexual is a really complex process sometimes and it personally took me years of hiding mine through transness to finally accept it and live as an homosexual woman.

Take your time, really.

To me, it was really helpful to do a lot of research about butch women. Those women are openly masculine individuals who, just like you and I, prefer masculine roles/clothes/habits and so on. Seeing them in my day to day life helped me change the way I perceived women and what was possible as a woman. Being a woman is literally just being an adult human female. The rest is up to you to decide. Whether you want to express yourself in a masculine, androgynous or feminine way, female doesn't equal feminine.

There's also a bunch of gnc women in the media and history who helped me accept my female masculinity: Stormé Delarverie, Oscar François in The Rose of Versailles, A league of their own (have a lot of butch women, but Max Chapman was my favourite), Tegan and Sara (lesbian singers who present masculine as hell), Alison Bechdel (She created a comic about dykes and seeing her being her most authentic butch self is a blessing)

I changed my name to a male one when I was still identifying as a trans man and I decided to keep it that way. A male name for a woman doesn't mean you're not possibly one because that's something biological. No one can take that away from you, so you're not entitled to one way to behave. Thinking out of the box will makes you critical of the stereotypes and the oppressions imposed on you and accepting this as a part of your reality helps to say 'No, I'm not okay with it' rather than 'If I'm not a woman, it doesn't concern me' Because it will concern you regardless.

For pronouns, it's not going to be easy. Preferring he/him might be because you think it'll make you more masculine, which is the base of internalized misogyny (insinuating that she/her is feminine). When in reality, pronouns are just there to tell which sex you are. It won't make you more masculine/feminine as a person and what might make you feel uncomfortable is how people will perceive you/treat you because of their own sexism. You go gradually, maybe switching for she/her with masculine adjectives and male titles at first. You don't have to fit perfectly. I love titles such as king and gentleman and I keep using handsome for example. When I think of some female titles, I think of them as me being in a cross-dress version of that title: a princess dressed as a prince.

At the end of the day, even if female titles have historical meanings and ideas behind them, you, by default, can subvert them simply by existing. You have the right to reappropriate those words in your own way.

I also invite you to connect with some radfem/gender critical people. They're really supportive of gender nonconformity and detransitioners. They also have a whole bag of wonderful historical women who will help you unpack a lot of stuff born from misogyny and heterosexism.

EDIT: If you're a workout fanatic, I suggest you Samanthacmjefferson on Instagram