The recent surge in young people openly discussing and exploring their sexual and gender identity has sparked numerous conversations and questions. The following questions came up in a recent class.
Q: It seems that more young people today are speaking out about sexual identity. Is this an issue that’s always been there and just talked about more, or is there something new going on?
What we’re witnessing today with young people speaking out about sexual identity isn’t simply the continuation of something that’s always been present. It is a spiritual evolution away from the physical identity of “I am this, I am that” into a spiritual beginning awareness of “I am this, I am that, I am all, I am none of it.” While for some, it is specifically about sexual identity, for many, it signals the early stages of releasing attachment to physical form and identification with the body. It can be a subtle but significant step toward spiritual awakening and a more expansive sense of being.
Q: But if it is a release of identification, why are some feeling they need change?
Because they know what it is, is not what it is. But they don’t know what it is. So, they are making their best guess. “If I am not this body, meaning this gender, maybe I am that gender, or maybe I am both genders, or neither, or something else entirely.” This questioning isn’t a mistake or a trend—it’s the beginning of understanding that our true nature might be far more expansive than our physical form suggests. It is a dawning understanding of a spiritual awakening.
It would help both parents and children if rather than see the confusion and questioning as a problem, to consider the possibility that it’s actually a sign of spiritual growth. When someone says, “This doesn’t feel right,” or “I don’t think I’m who everyone says I am,” they’re expressing an intuitive understanding that transcends conventional ideas of identity. They know, on some level, that what appears to be isn’t the whole truth. But the challenge is they don’t yet have the full picture of what that truth is.
Think of it as a collective awakening —humanity beginning to understand that we are more than our bodies, more than assigned roles, more than labels. When young people question their identity, they’re touching upon something far deeper. They’re beginning to sense that the physical form they inhabit isn’t the complete story of who they are; it is only part of their greater, more expansive self.
Q: So, what is the response that parents and mentors should have to those who are going through this experience?
For parents and mentors, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. When a young person begins questioning their identity, what they’re often trying to do is find a way out of pain—the pain of being confined to a physical identity that feels too limiting, the pain of being treated in ways that don’t reflect their inner truth, the pain of existing within cultural boundaries that feel too narrow for their expanding sense of self.
Our response needs to be as nuanced as the situation itself. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer because each person’s journey is unique. For some, it may genuinely be about exploring gender or sexual identity. For others, it may be the early stirrings of something even more profound: the realization that they are, at their essence, consciousness itself, temporarily experiencing life through a physical form.
We’re witnessing the early movement toward transcending the limitations of purely physical identification. Some may express this through gender exploration, others through questioning different aspects of their identity, but at its core, it’s all part of the same evolutionary movement toward greater awareness and expanded consciousness.
As guides and supporters in this process, our role isn’t to push or pull in any direction but to hold space for this exploration while providing the wisdom and support needed for safe navigation of these waters. We need to recognize that when someone —especially someone young—begins questioning their identity, they’re often standing at the threshold of a profound spiritual journey, even if they don’t recognize it as such.
This understanding doesn’t minimize the very real challenges and struggles that come with questioning one’s identity. Rather, it places these experiences within a larger context of spiritual growth and evolution. It suggests that what we’re witnessing isn’t a problem to be solved but a transformation to be supported—one that might ultimately lead us all toward a more expansive understanding of what it means to be human.
The way forward isn’t about rushing to conclusions or forcing answers. It’s about creating space for this natural unfolding while providing the support and guidance needed to navigate it safely.
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