Research on the transgender population is often limited to their medical care, and in particular to their mental well-being. The social and family environment in which a social gender role transition takes place is often overlooked. Although research is limited, this article reviews the existing literature on the family aspect of a gender transition. Articles regarding three different aspects were selected for this review: first, the issue of parenthood during transition and the experiences of children with a transgender parent, second, the experiences of partners and ex-partners of transgender individuals, and third, the experiences of parents with a gender variant child. Articles were restricted to those with a focus on family members and situations during transition. For all three contexts, several mediating factors, both individual and social, were distinguished. Various challenges for future research were identified.

Objective To understand the experiences of both children and parents in families where one of the parent is transgender. Background A focus on the family environment can be found in research concerning transgender youth, but this focus is lacking in research on transgender adults. To our knowledge, research so far has not shed light on the experiences of minor children who have witnessed the transition of their parent. Method Using the family resilience framework, which is a useful theoretical framework for analyzing family transitions, we conducted in‐depth qualitative interviews with 13 children and 15 parents (8 cisgender and 7 transgender) from 9 families. Results Various protective family processes were distinguished in the achievement of adaptive functioning outcomes: family continuity, family communication, significant others' acceptance, and attributing meaning. Hence, the findings from this research clearly show that the gender transition of a parent in itself should not be problematized. Conclusion Through good practices and protective processes within the family, the transition of a parent's gender can be accepted by children. Implications These findings have implications for families with a transgender parent as well as for anyone working with children and their transgender parents.

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Experiences of family members are often overlooked in social research on gender transitions. The current article aims to address this gap by considering the experiences of partners during a gender transition, approaching this topic through role theory and the concepts of role ambiguity and role conflict. Seventeen partners and former partners were interviewed. First, we distinguished three different roles of partners during the transition: the co-parental role, the ally role and the romantic partner role. We found that ambiguity was most apparent for the romantic partner role. Second, we observed that the expectations which accompany these different roles often contradict each other during gender transition. This leads to role conflict. We discuss how this role conflict may influence the acceptance and adaptation process of the partner and steer certain relationship outcomes. In the discussion, we construct three types of adaptation processes of partners.