Few studies are available on the effects on children of social or medical transitions. That’s because these procedures are still relatively new. The issue has also become so polarized and politicized, when studies are released, it’s difficult to find any that demonstrate a lack of bias.

But a new report was recently published with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Its findings suggest that young children who socially transition to a new gender, by changing their name, pronouns, and clothes, tend to continue to identify with that “new” gender five years later. The New York Times gleefully inferred that this means the right thing for parents to do when their child is questioning their identity is to begin socially transitioning them.