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Danann Tyler, who was born male but now dresses as a little girl and has long hair, says she was bullied at school and felt hurt by other children telling her she was a boy. These stories of transgender children never cease to amaze me. See photos and watch the video of Danann here…

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The eight-year-old MTF (male to female) from Orange County, California, is the subject of a new feature length documentary about transgender people. In a special edition of the Anderson talk show, ‘Children &Teens Caught In The Wrong Bodies’ which is scheduled to air on Wednesday, she told journalist Anderson Cooper: ‘My school, people were telling me that I was a boy and it made me really sad.’

Danann’s parents, Sarah and Bill Tyler, who also appeared on the show, said they did not know what was wrong with their son when, from aged two, he insisted he was a girl. He never had any interest in the toys his elder brother Liam had loved. His sippy cup had to be pink. When a family friend playing dress up put him in a princess gown, he refused to take it off.

Sarah, a yoga instructor, wrote on her blog:

‘When I picked Dana up at Daycare, he was always with a group of girls, playing in the fabulous faux kitchen or with dolls, dressed in one of the many worn princess costumes that had been donated by parents from the past.’

He insisted on being bought, and wearing a pair of Target high heeled slippers -just like hers, she remembered. The family pediatrician dismissed it as a phase. But for her parents the child’s angst was heartbreaking.

Sarah said:

‘Aged about four she [Danann] said, ‘I don’t think God is so great because God made a mistake when he made me.’ Shortly after she talked about cutting off her penis and that concerned me a lot.’

By age six Danann was so unhappy she was threatening to hang herself. Doctors diagnosed the child as bipolar, dyslexic and ADHD and prescribed various medications. The Tylers consulted gay friends, who said that she was probably more than just a gay child.

Eventually the Tylers took the troubled child out of school, as she was getting bullied and was not getting the support she needed from teachers. Bill Tyler, a police officer, said:

‘They would say things like, ‘She has to stop bringing princess backpacks to school, lunch boxes. It’s confusing the kids, and it’s causing a distraction.’

When a therapist eventually showed them a DVD and told them that their child could have gender identity disorder, the Tylers were relieved. The diagnosis immediately rang true, they said, and despite her young age, the concerned parents made the controversial decision to let Danann live her life as if she were female.

Now, a year and a half on, they say it’s like parenting a new little girl. Danann said she is much happier now:

‘I am who I want to be, and that’s well, how I want it.’

The understanding parents say they want to tell their story for two reasons, to educate people and to support those who are dealing with a similar situation. The hardest part is dealing with other people’s reactions when they find out, the Tylers told Anderson. But parents should not feel personally responsible, according to Sarah.

It’s vital that transgender children are given the freedom to be themselves, Danann’s parents believe. Sarah has begun writing a blog about being a transgender parent.

The special episode saw Danann meet other transgender children for the first time. Jackie formerly Jack, Singer, and Tammy, formerly Tom Lobel.

http://mommysdirtylittlesecret.com/2...ing-as-a-girl/

There's also a short video of her at the bottom of the link.

I think this is so great how accepting her parents are. I wish the article was more consistent with pronouns, though. Media still has the annoying tendency of referring to trans people pre-"transition" as the pronouns they were assigned at birth. Especially when she even says in the interview that it hurts when people at school bully her and call her a boy. Notice how her parents use female pronouns no matter what age they refer to her, but yoga teacher and reporter use male pronouns. But overall good to see a more positive reception of trans children! I love that we are now seeing more and more cases of accepting parents.