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Speak to a trained member of the Mermaids team. 08088010400

Me. My. Mine.

A safe place for transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse young people to find support and help one another

What is gender and what does ‘dysphoria’ mean?

When you are born, it’s decided whether you’re a boy or a girl, based on the way your body looks. But for some people, looks can be deceiving and they’re given the wrong gender.

So ‘gender dysphoria’ is the uncomfortable feeling some people get when their gender is different from the one they were given at birth.

No matter how someone’s body looks, they might identify as male, female or non-binary. A non-binary person doesn’t identify as male or female, they can identify as male and female, neither, or their gender can change.

If your gender identity matches the one you were given at birth that’s called “cisgender”.

I think I’m transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse, what do I do?

First of all, this is a place where you can feel safe and comfortable as yourself. If you are nervous about visiting our site then you can click on the arrow over on the right-hand-side of the screen and it’ll take you to another page.

You can take a look around our website and think about what you would like to do. Maybe you need to talk to someone on our webchat or helpline? You might want to find out some information or make new friends. If you want to meet other transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse people, you can apply to join the teens forum.

We also run residential weekends and local support groups, so get in touch if you’d like more information!

Youth Forum

My friend/sibling came out as transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse

Firstly, it’s important to understand they’ve taken a huge step in their life. Support is important to everyone, especially people who have just come out.

You don’t have anything to worry about, they are still the same person. Try to use whichever name and pronouns (he/she/they etc) they ask you to use, as these can be very important for their happiness and self-confidence.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions but you must also understand that these things are very personal and they may not want to answer.

Remember you can always call our helpline or hop on our webchat.

Welcome to MANGO!

MANGO is our online activist programme for trans young people aged 16-19.

Learn more
Helpline

Speak to a trained member of the Mermaids team.

0808 801 0400

Monday – Friday; 9am – 9pm

Contact Us
Web Chat

Chat online with a trained operator

Open from 9am – 9pm Monday to Friday

Get in touch

You can contact a member of the Mermaids team by email.

Email us
Text Chat

Are you in a crisis?
Do you need help?

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text MERMAIDS to

85258

for free 24/7 crisis support all across the UK.

All texts are answered by trained volunteers with support from experienced clinical supervisors.

For young trans people

Our online community is a safe space for you to ask questions, talk about how you are doing, and share experiences with others.

Events

Get involved with our events – like residential weekends or your local Pride.

Click here

Videos about Young People

Looking for more information?