How would you react if your child came out as transgender?

I would support him/her. They're still your child and sexuality should have no bearing on love.

There are two stages and both are important: Coping with the initial shock, and handling a difficult situation that simply isn't going to go
away.

Mrs Didge and I had to face this in 1991 when our oldest son (then aged 30) told me he wanted to be a woman. I managed to stay non-commital at first (not exactly the best way to handle it but it was a shock) then, when Mrs D. And I had time to discuss it on our own, we were able to decide what needed to be done.

We set about learning as much as we could about the various stages of the trans-gender process and we made a point of standing firmly behind our new daughter for we now understood the problems she would face.

She had been a troubled teen and the problems persisted throughout her 20s as she was compelled to face to what was happening to her and struggled against it. Since taking us into her confidence, and being accepted as herself, those troubles have melted away and she is now living a happy, productive life.

Her brothers and their families accepted her (though one of them, a fundamentalist Christian, at first considered her to be an abomination
and it took him a few years before he was again on friendly terms with her).

Do understand the turmoil such people go through. It may be difficult for their families -- particularly those families who are worried about what the neighbours think -- but it is far more difficult for the subjects themselves.

They're still our kids. We still love them. This is the time when that love needs to grow a bit of muscle.

If this is not just an idle question, if you’re facing this problem yourself, I’d be happy to discuss it with you – but not on an open forum.