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A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta shows children identifying as “transgender” has increased astronomically over the last 5 years.

According to the report – obtained by the Washington Post and published yesterday, “trans-identifying” teens now represent almost 2 percent of U.S. high school students.

via The Washington Post —

Transgender teens — those whose gender identity does not align with their biological sex at birth — now represent almost 2 percent of U.S. high school students, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That conclusion stems from the agency’s analysis of data based on a nationally representative sample of 131,901 public school students in grades nine through 12, who were asked a variety of questions about gender identity and personal health and safety issues.

The Post reports that researchers at the CDC were shocked by their findings, and that the reality has “devastating consequences.”

According to the CDC, nearly 35% of the teens have tried to commit suicide in the past 12 months.

The report noted that “steps should be taken to create safe learning environments and provide access to competent mental-health care and that ‘continued research into the health of transgender youths and development of effective intervention strategies are warranted.'”

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