Commentary on deMayo, B. E., Gallagher, N. M., Leshin, R. A., and Olson, K. R. (2025). Stability and Change in Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Across Childhood and Adolescence https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12479
About the Author
Christia Spears Brown
University of Kentucky
Christia Spears Brown is an author, researcher, and professor of Developmental Psychology. She is also the Director of Center for Equality and Social Justice at the University of Kentucky. She earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. Brown began her academic career on the faculty of University of California at Los Angeles.
Her research focuses on how children develop gender and ethnic stereotypes, how children understand gender and ethnic discrimination, and how discrimination and stereotypes affect children and teens’ lives. As part of her research on discrimination, she also examines the perpetration and acceptance of sexual harassment and how children understand politics, public policies, and societal inequalities.
Cultural Change, Scientific Inquiry, and Gender Development Research: Letting Science Follow the Questions in a Politicized Climate
Science has long addressed issues important to public health. For example, since antiquity, scientists have sought to understand how diseases spread from person to person. Hippocrates theorized that diseases were spread by breathing the “bad air” emanating from rotting organic matter. For the next two millennia, this concept shaped scientific inquiry, until researchers eventually discovered bacteria and viruses and developed a germ theory of disease. It took many more years before the public accepted that germs – not foul air – caused disease (Matthias, 2021). Regardless of prevailing public opinion, generations of scientists pursued basic and applied research that eventually led to vaccines capable of eradicating many once-deadly diseases.
We are currently facing a different type of public health crisis: one in four transgender and gender-questioning youth attempt to end their lives each year (Suarez et al., 2024). When so many children are at risk – not from disease, but suicide – we again need to turn to scientific research for answers. Just as advances in basic research in microbiology led to improvements in public health, advances in basic developmental science, as demonstrated by DeMayo, Gallagher, Leshin, and Olson’s Monograph, “Stability and Change in Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Across Childhood and Adolescence,” can lead to improvements in the health and safety of all children. In this commentary, I highlight a few notable contributions, and the public health implications, of their work.
One important contribution of deMayo and colleagues’ research is how they situate gender development within the rapidly changing cultural context in which 21st century children develop (in the tradition of Bronfenbrenner, 2005, and Garcia Coll et al.,1996). For the past 50 years (following the second wave of the women’s movement), gender development research has focused on the malleability and flexibility of gender roles and norms, largely examining parental socialization, gender segregation, within-group variability, and the acquisition and influence of gender stereotypes (e.g., see Bem, 1993; Bigler, 1995; Martin et al., 2002; Williams, Bennett, & Best, 1975). Gender identity was considered a stable and consistent identity (Slaby & Frey, 1975).
But the past decade has ushered in dramatic changes in how gender identity is conceptualized. For example, as highlighted in the Monograph, media coverage of diverse gender identities – particularly queer and transgender identities – increased dramatically between 2000 and 2015 (e.g., GLAAD, 2021). At the same time, landmark court cases (e.g., Lawrence and Obergefell) and federal policy changes (e.g., the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”) between 2003 and 2015 ensured greater legal equality for LGBTQIA+ individuals (e.g., the ability to marry a same-sex individual; protection from workplace discrimination). Further, between 2012 and 2022, the National Institute of Health (NIH) increased their research funding on sexual and gender minority health from $23.6 to $83.2 million (Weideman et al., 2025). This rapid rise in public visibility, legal equality, and attention to health disparities coincided with greater social acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities among youth (e.g., Twenge, 2023).
As deMayo and colleagues captured in their longitudinal research (which itself had to evolve at each time point to keep up with youths’ rapidly changing language around gender), approximately 8% of youths identified as gender diverse (e.g., non-binary) by the end of the study. Even among youth who were recruited as cisgender children, approximately 15% changed their gender identity over the course of the study. As deMayo and colleagues write in the Monograph, “these findings tell us that the rates of change we see – and, particularly, the rates of gender diverse identities – … likely reflect the broader socio-cultural moment.” (p. XX). This is notable for two key reasons. First, it highlights that gender identity is more fluid than previously thought. Although previous research did not examine whether typically-developing children change their gender identities over time, it is unlikely that research conducted 30 years ago would have shown the same findings. Rarely has research been so well-positioned to longitudinally examine gender identity development during a period of rapid cultural transformation. This Monograph offers a unique and timely contribution by capturing, in real time, how societal norms that are increasingly accepting of gender diversity (e.g., greater acceptance of a non-binary gender identity) parallel increasingly diverse gender identity trajectories.
Importantly, however, lessons of history have taught that rapid cultural change is often met with political and public backlash (e.g., the classic example of the emergence of the KKK in 1865 following Reconstruction in the Southern US; the spike in hate crimes following the election of Barack Obama). Thus, it is unsurprising that the overall greater acceptance of diverse gender identities among youth and in many sectors of society is accompanied by a political backlash. As noted in the Monograph, Republican campaigns spent over $200 million on anti-transgender advertisements in 2024 (Parks, 2024; PBS, 2024), and by May 2025, 575 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills had been introduced across the country—many aimed at banning the use of chosen names in schools, restricting participation in school sports, and limiting access to healthcare (ACLU, 2025). More than $800 million in NIH-funded projects focused on sexual and gender minority health were canceled between January and May 2025 (Mueller, 2025). Much of the backlash assumes that greater visibility of diverse gender identities leads to “gender confusion” among children (e.g., https://donoharmmedicine.org/gender-ideology/).
This worry about “gender confusion”, however, does not reflect another important contribution of deMayo and colleagues’ Monograph. Their research shows similar gender identity trajectories across all three groups of children (i.e., those recruited as transgender, their siblings, and cisgender same-age peers), with more than 85% of youth showing consistent gender identities over time. The authors note, “stability in gender identity was by far the modal trajectory,” and changes in gender identity were no more or less likely in any of the recruitment groups compared to the others. In other words, socially transitioned transgender youths were no more or less likely to show changes in their gender identity than other children. This suggests that, while there is a normative amount of gender identity variation over time, there is not the widespread “gender confusion” that critics warn about.
Although the political backlash based in fears of widespread “gender confusion” is not supported by empirical evidence, there are some valid critiques about our current state of knowledge about diverse gender identities. As Singal (2025) points out in an essay for the New York Times, there needs to be more research – not less– research that is rigorous, skeptical, and transparent. We still have much to learn about how best to support children as they navigate the normative process of exploring their gender identity. Existing research suggests that affirming environments—such as schools that support Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), parents that are accepting of their children, multiple contexts that use youths’ preferred names and pronouns — are associated with lower rates of depression among transgender and gender diverse youth (e.g., Russell et al., 2018). However, beyond these protective factors, it remains unclear how to support children in ways that honor normative gender identity exploration without presuming that any change in identity signals regret or “detransition.”
Unfortunately, rather than calling for more research to better understand the lives and needs of trans and gender diverse youth – and to address the public health crisis they are facing – many political opponents have sought to eliminate the research altogether (by eliminating research funding). When research questions are suppressed, science is erased—and with it, the people whose lives depend on being seen and studied. The goal of developmental science is to improve children’s lives and well-being, a goal that cannot be met when scientific agendas are politicized. In contrast, scientific inquiry thrives on complexity, controversy, and unresolved questions. As developmental psychologist Lisa Diamond noted at the 2025 Biennial SRCD Meeting, “Uncertainty is the engine of science.” (Diamond, 2025) Good science has never shied away from controversy; it is through engaging difficult questions that science fulfills its promise. This is exactly what the Monograph does.
Just as scientific discoveries on infectious diseases were first met with public disdain, those discoveries eventually led to sanitation procedures that saved lives. Similarly, we should let rigorous developmental research findings determine the best healthcare, parenting strategies, and educational contexts for trans and gender diverse youth, not public or political opinions. At its best, science is iterative—a self-correcting feedback loop of inquiry, analysis, and refinement. That is why we must allow science to do what it does best: follow the questions wherever they lead. That will be one of the enduring legacies of the Monograph by DeMayo, Gallagher, Leshin, and Olson. It demonstrates how researchers can conduct empirically grounded, theoretically rigorous, and socially relevant science that advances our understanding of child development—regardless of the mercurial and reactive moods of political discourse.
References
ACLU. (2025). Anti-LGBTQ legislation tracker. American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org
Bem, S. L. (1993). The lenses of gender: Transforming the debate on sexual inequality. Yale University Press.
Bigler, R. S. (1995). The role of classification skill in moderating environmental influences on children’s gender stereotyping: A study of the functional use of gender in the classroom. Child Development, 66(4), 1072–1087. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131799
Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. SAGE Publications.
Brown, C. S., & Bigler, R. S. (2004). Children’s perceptions of gender discrimination. Developmental Psychology, 40(5), 714.
Garcia Coll, C., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H. P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B. H., & García, H. V. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891–1914. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131600
GLAAD. (2021). Where we are on TV: 2021-2022 season. GLAAD. https://www.glaad.org
Green, E. (2016). What America Lost as Women Entered the Workforce.
The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/what-women-lost/500537/
Ha, T. S. (2011). Biological perspectives on gender differences: A historical overview. Journal of the History of Biology, 44(3), 493–515. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-010-9241-7
Hyde, J. S., & Else-Quest, N. M. (2012). Half the human experience: The psychology of women (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Kuhn, D., Nash, S. C., & Brucken, L. (1978). Sex role concepts of two- and three-year-olds. Child Development, 49(2), 445–451. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128700
Leaper, C., & Brown, C. S. (2008). Perceived experiences with sexism among adolescent girls. Child Development, 79(3), 685–704. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01151.x
Martin, C. L., Ruble, D. N., & Szkrybalo, J. (2002). Cognitive theories of early gender development. Psychological Bulletin, 128(6), 903–933. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.128.6.903
Matthias, L. (2021). From miasma to microbes: The evolution of disease theory. Harvard University Press.
Mueller, B. (2025). Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/health/trump-administration-slashes-research-into-lgbtq-health.html.
Parks, J. (2024). Political advertising trends in 2024: Transgender representation in campaign messaging. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org
PBS. (2024). Anti-transgender rhetoric in U.S. political campaigns. Public Broadcasting Service. https://www.pbs.org
Singal, J. (2025). Trump’s attack on trans youth research is a tragic error. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/opinion/trump-transgender-youth-research.html?searchResultPosition=6
Suarez, J., Kim, R., & Tang, A. (2024). Rates of suicidal ideation among transgender and gender-questioning youth: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(1), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.09.001
Twenge, J. M. (2023). Generations: The real differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and what they mean for America’s future. Atria Books.
Weideman, A., Ecklund, A.M., Alley, R., Simon Rosser, B. R., & Rider, G. N. (2025). Research funded by National Institutes of Health concerning sexual and gender minoritized populations: A tracking update for 2012 to 2022. American Journal of Public Health, 115, 374-386. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307913
Williams, J. E., Bennett, S. M., & Best, D. L. (1975). Awareness and expression of sex stereotypes in young children. Developmental Psychology, 11(5), 635–642. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.11.5.635
Yellen, J. (2022). The history of women’s work and wages and how it has created success for us all. Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-history-of-womens-work-and-wages-and-how-it-has-created-success-for-us-all/
Citation:
Brown, C.S. (2025). Cultural Change, Scientific Inquiry, and Gender Development Research: Letting Science Follow the Questions in a Politicized Climate. [Peer commentary on the article “Stability and Change in Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Across Childhood and Adolescence” by Benjamin E. deMayo, Natalie M. Gallagher, Rachel A. Leshin, and Kristina R. Olson]. Monograph Matters. Retrieved from https://monographmatters.srcd.org/2025/07/15/commentary-brown-90.1-3/