The mum of a transgender primary pupil has told of the horrific bullying her son has faced since he openly spoke about wanting to be a boy instead of a girl.
The mum, going by the pseudonym Martha, said her 11-year-old son was even told to 'kill himself' by cruel bullies.
Martha, 29, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, said the awful comments has led to a period of self-harming for her child.
As her young son struggled with his mental health, Martha turned to medical professionals in the area, who, she says, were not helpful during his time of need.
By sharing his story, she hopes she’ll be able to raise awareness of the situation and comfort others who may be in a similar situation.
Speaking to Grimsby Live about how how her son’s questioning of his gender began, she said he got his period aged eight, which she considered to be a “big part” in him wanting to change gender.
"I'm not sure they were mentally ready to be a woman,” she said.
"After deciding that they wanted to change, I approached local medical organisations asking for treatment to help regulate their periods and I was refused because my child isn't sexually active.
"I understood that, but no further help was offered, not even a conversation about what he was going through.
"It just seems a bit harsh considering the situation my son is in."
However, that wasn't the end of Martha's problems. Sadly, many of her son’s peers have not been accepting of her son's decision, which has had a massive impact on his mental health.
"Because of what was happening, he started self harming at the age of nine and has been now for 18 months. The first I ever knew of it was when I discovered bloody tissues in their bed side drawer,” she said.
"I've tried to get help, but I just feel like I'm going around in circles with everyone at this point.
“He even said to me that he feels like nobody will talk to him unless he kills himself."
Unfortunately, Martha's family haven't been incredibly supportive either with some refusing to call her son by his name.
Similarly, he has been subject to bullying from children at his primary school, who have taunted him about his decision.
"People shout at him telling him to kill himself because of it, he often comes home crying which just makes everything worse,” Martha said.
"Personally, my mental health is awful with everything that's going on. I'm just so worried of waking up to find my child dead in their bedroom.
"The hardest part for me in all of this though was losing the child I raised and gaining a new person.
“I love them still, but there was somewhat of a grieving process involved in losing them and I did shed a few tears.
"However, I fully support their decision and I have stuck by him ever since.
"My biggest concern now is getting my son the help he needs. Certain things he does are worrying and a nine year old self harming is a massive concern.
"I just hope I can get him the mental support he needs and get him referred to GIDS (Gender Identity Development Service) to help him in his journey of transition."
If you need to speak to someone, Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123.
For more advice visit nhs.uk/mental-health or www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus
