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Siblings, Grandparents, and Animal Companions

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Working with Transgender Young People and their Families

Abstract

This chapter shifts the focus beyond the parent-child relationship to consider other family members, specifically siblings, grandparents, and animal companions. Utilising a critical developmental approach the chapter suggests that siblings and grandparents can be both a key source of support for transgender young people and sources of stress. The role of animal companions as kin is explored as a novel area of focus that to date has received little attention in the literature on transgender young people. The chapter presents one case study that considers the role that parental assumptions and grandparent disengagement can play in the life of a transgender young person, and the importance of recognising animal companions as kin.

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Correspondence to Damien W. Riggs .

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Riggs, D.W. (2019). Siblings, Grandparents, and Animal Companions. In: Working with Transgender Young People and their Families. Critical and Applied Approaches in Sexuality, Gender and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14231-5_5

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