The President of the union of Students at TUS Athlone says young people who are transgender are finding it difficult to get acceptance from their parents.
Niall Naughten says a survey carried out in recent times show that people who are transgender or bi-sexual are more prone to poor mental health than others in the LGBT community.
He says the finding of that survey are borne out by what young students are telling the union, and he's encouraging them to reach out for help and support if they feel the need.
Speaking on the Let's Talk show today, the students union President says transphobia appears to be on the increase among students, and more worryingly parents are also refusing to listen or accept their children's wishes.
''What's more worrying is the prevalence of parents actually being transphobic towards their own children. We've dealt with many cases this year where transgender students come into the office and say their parents aren't happy with them and they won't use their preferred name or pronouns and that in itself is worrying. I don't think its ignorance I think it's a lack of education and coming to terms with it they can't accept it themselves and that's why its so important to reach out for support.''
