Understanding Gender Identity
Discover the power of literature to challenge norms, broaden horizons, and celebrate the beautiful diversity of human identity with this selection of fiction and non-fiction titles.
Beyond the gender binary
Vaid-Menon, Alok, author
2020
Poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary.
Boy meets Maria
Peyo, writer, artist
2018
Taiga dreams of becoming an actor, so the first thing he does upon entering high school is join the drama club. There, he meets the beautiful, enigmatic Maria and immediately falls in love with her. Not long after, Taiga is told that she is actually a boy--but is that all there is to Maria's story? The late PEYO debuted with this beautifully illustrated, single-volume tale exploring the nature of personal expression and the fluidity of the power of love.
Detransition, baby
Peters, Torrey, author
2020
Reese almost had it all. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier. When Ames' boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby, Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family - and raise the baby together?
Gender euphoria : stories of joy from trans, non-binary and intersex writers
2021
Gender euphoria: a powerful feeling of happiness experienced as a result of moving away from one's birth-assigned gender. So often the stories shared by trans people about their transition centre on gender dysphoria: a feeling of deep discomfort with their birth-assigned gender, and a powerful catalyst for coming out or transitioning. But for many non-cisgender people, it's gender euphoria which pushes forward their transition: the joy the first time a parent calls them by their new chosen name, the first time they have the confidence to cut their hair short, the first time they truly embrace themself. In this ground-breaking anthology, nineteen trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid and intersex writers share their experiences of gender euphoria: an agender dominatrix being called 'Daddy', an Arab trans man getting his first tattoos, a trans woman embracing her inner fighter. What they have in common are their feelings of elation, pride, confidence, freedom and ecstasy as a direct result of coming out as non-cisgender, and how coming to terms with their gender brought unimaginable joy into their lives.
Gender identity : beyond pronouns and bathrooms
Cook, Maria, author
2019
Readers explore the spectrum of the LGBTQ movement through the lenses of history, media, and culture, with a particular focus on transgender rights and rights of gender-variant people.
Gender identity for kids : a book about finding yourself, understanding others, and respecting everybody!
Passchier, Andy, author.
2023
"This book introduces different terms for gender identity and expression, while also teaching children how to accept and respect others"-- Provided by publisher.
The gender identity guide for parents : compassionate advice to help your child be their most authentic self
Hawn, Tavi, author
2021
Nurture and celebrate your child's true self with this parent's guide to gender identity. Talking with your child about gender identity can seem overwhelming--but with the right guidance, you can have healthy conversations and create an affirming environment for them as they grow. Whether your child is cisgender, gender expansive, transgender, or still unsure, this guide provides practical advice and strategies to help you embrace them for who they are and support them as they approach puberty. Learn the basics--Refresh your knowledge on gender identity and gender expression. Discover anecdotes and advice--Build your confidence as a parent with expert strategies and relatable stories from other parents. Cover important topics--Learn how to unravel your personal biases and maintain open communication. Create a safe and inclusive space for your child to explore themselves with The Gender Identity Guide for Parents. -- Publisher's description.
Gender queer : a memoir
Kobabe, Maia, author, illusrator
2019
"In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity--what it means and how to think about it--for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere."--Amazon.
He's always been my son : a mother's story about raising her transgender son
Barkin, Janna, author
2017
Heartstopper. Volume 1
Oseman, Alice, author, artist
2020
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
The name I call myself
Namir, Hasan, 1987- author
2020
A sweet and moving picture book depicting Ari's gender journey from childhood to adolescence in order to discover who they really are. Meet Ari, a young person who doesn't like to be called by their birth name Edward: "When I think of the name Edward, I imagine old kings who snore a lot." Throughout this beautiful and engaging picture book, we watch Ari grow up before our very eyes as they navigate the ins and outs of their gender identity; we see how, as a child, they prefer dolls and princess movies, and want to grow out their hair, though their father insists on cutting it short, because that's "what a boy looks like." At ten, they play hockey but wish they could try on their mother's dresses; at fifteen, they shave their body, hoping to have smooth skin like the girls. At sixteen, they want to run away, especially from their father, who insists, "You're a boy, so you have to act like one." Who will Ari become? Moving from age six to adolescence, The Name I Call Myself touchingly depicts Edward's tender, solitary gender journey to Ari: a new life distinguished and made.
Pageboy : a memoir
Page, Elliot, 1987-, author
2023
A groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood.
Sexed up : how society sexualizes us, and how we can fight back
Serano, Julia.
2022
"When the mainstream transgender rights movement was still a glimmer on the horizon, Julia Serano's smash-hit manifesto Whipping Girl revolutionized the way we think about gender. With the movement for trans rights now at the center of our cultural debates, Julia Serano returns with a groundbreaking exploration of what it means to be sexualized. We tend to think of sexualization-that is, when people are reduced to their sexual bodies-as an issue that only affects women. But, as Serano deftly reveals, society sexualizes everyone along dehumanizing double standards, to disastrous effects. She shows how a predator-and-prey dynamic leads straight men to both admire and deride their partners, how bisexuals are stereotyped as "greedy," and how trans people are maligned as "entrappers" of cisgender people. Along the way, she unpacks why queerness is thought of as contagious, how people of color are sexualized to justify violence against them, and more broadly, how sexualization harms us all. Julia Serano confronts these arbitrary social rules, showing us that they're not natural or innate but instead are constructed. She then reveals powerful new ways to resist, by affirming consent and redefining courtship, so that we can forge life-affirming values for future generations."-- Provided by publisher.
She/he/they/them : understanding gender identity
Stanborough, Rebecca, author
2020
"She/he/they/them. Why do we use gender pronouns? And why do some people wish to be referred to as "they"? What is gender identity all about? Students will learn to understand these terms and the reasons behind them. They will also learn how to deal with questions they may have about gender identity"-- Provided by publisher.
Stonewall : the definitive story of the LGBTQ rights uprising that changed America
Duberman, Martin B., author.
2019
The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village. At a little after one a.m. on the morning of June 28, 1969, the police carried out a routine raid on the bar. But it turned out not to be routine at all. Instead of cowering-- the usual reaction to a police raid-- the patrons inside Stonewall and the crowd that gathered outside the bar fought back against the police. The five days of rioting that followed changed forever the face of lesbian and gay life. In the years since 1969, the Stonewall riots have become the central symbolic event of the modern gay movement. Renowned historian and activist Martin Duberman tells the full story of what happened at Stonewall, focusing on the lives of six people involved in the struggle for LGBTQ rights, and recreating in vivid detail those heady, sweltering nights in June 1969, revealing a wealth of previously unknown material.
The Sunbearer Trials
Thomas, Aiden, author
2022
Transgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.
Trans kids and teens : pride, joy, and families in transition
Nealy, Elijah C., author
2019
A comprehensive guide to the medical, emotional, and social issues of trans kids.
Transgender inclusion : all the things you want to ask your transgender coworker (but shouldn't)
Fowlkes, A. C., author.
2024
The transgender issue : trans justice is justice for all
Faye, Shon, 1988- author.
2022
"Journalist Shon Faye gives an incisive overview of systemic transphobia and argues that the struggle for trans rights is necessary to any struggle for social justice"-- Provided by publisher.
