A transgender couple in the United Kingdom has announced that their 5-year-old will be transitioning from male to female, the Daily Mail reported.

What's the story?

Greg Rogers and his partner Jody Rogers were both born female. However, since Greg medically transitioned to male at 16 years old, the couple identifies as being straight. They share custody of Jody's 5-year-old, Jayden.

Jayden was born a boy, but has worn dresses for the past year. Now Greg and Jody say that they plan to schedule medical procedures to transition Jayden to female.

Sex-change hormones given to children have permanent consequences, and critics question the ability of a young child to make such a dramatic and life-altering decision.

In 2016, the American College of Pediatrics released a statement warning that puberty blockers put children at a higher risk for "cardiac disease, high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, diabetes, and cancer," in addition to making them unable "to conceive any genetically related children even via artificial reproductive technology."

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Greg insisted that Jayden was choosing to transition on his own, and had not been influenced by them.

"We haven't encouraged Jayden to do this, despite what people think, and we are hurt at the suggestion," Greg said.

"She has no idea that I'm transgender," Greg added. "Having been through this myself, I have conflicting emotions about her deciding she doesn't want to be a boy any more. It's not an easy life. People will always judge you and I don't think there is a single transgender person on the planet who would push that on a child."

Jody said that before Jayden began demanding to wear girl's clothes, she had not even been aware that "a child could be transgender."

"[I]t isn't until now, after speaking to other parents in our situation, that we realise it is more common than everyone thinks," Jody said, the Daily Mail reported.

What else?

Social workers from North Lanarkshire in Scotland where the Rogerses live have reportedly checked in on the family after an anonymous complaint from a neighbor, but determined that there were no signs of abuse.

While still too young to begin hormone treatment right away, Greg told the Daily Mail that Jayden will receive counseling for the next few years "to explore who she is."