A joyous new book is filled with photos and testimonials of real children across a variety of gender identities and expressions. It’s an extraordinary celebration of ordinary kids, and a must-have for any collection of diverse books.
The children in True You: A Gender Journey (Clarion), are “Girls, boys, neither, both, or just not sure,” who are strong, creative, curious, kind, and more, with different ways of showing who they are. “It’s up to you—how you feel, how you dress, how you act, how you play, learn, and love,” authors Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner assure readers, adding, “People might think your body is a clue to who you are. It is what you think that matters.”
We are then introduced to a number of trans, nonbinary, and cis kids, who describe their genders in their own words. Sometimes they are sure about their gender, whether or not it aligns with what adults had initially thought. Other times, they are not sure, but as one says, “It doesn’t matter. I’m a kid.” One page shows a girl expressing support for her nonbinary sibling, while another shows a different nonbinary child expressing their appreciation for their sibling’s support.
Notably, too, we see a range of nonbinary identities: a child who feels like neither a boy or a girl, one who was thought to be a boy but now “sometimes” feels like a girl, and one whose feelings of gender change throughout the day. As one child asserts, though, “Everyone should feel safe to just be who they are.”
The book also notes that “Sometimes kids are just being kids—exploring different things” as it shows children in gender creative outfits. “We are all kinds of kids” it affirms, “siblings, sisters, and brothers … sons, daughters, children, niblings, and grandchildren. And friends!” That is, I believe, the first use of the word “niblings” (nonbinary children of one’s sibling) in a book from a mainstream publisher. (If I’m wrong, please let me know.)
Rotner’s photos capture the children’s delight in being who they are, emphasized by the bright, bold graphic design. The children also reflect a variety of racial and ethnic identities and physical abilities.
Extensive back matter includes an Authors’ Note, an introduction to gender identity for caregivers and educators, a educator’s note to children who are “finding out who they are,” a letter from a trans girl in high school, a letter from the parents of a trans boy, a glossary, resources, and more.
The photos and words of real children make this book extraordinarily powerful, even though its text remains simple and upbeat. It is incalculably important for trans and nonbinary children to see photos of other children like them, and for all children to see themselves as part of a beautifully diverse spectrum of gender. These are not just stories someone is making up, but real kids.
Yes, the book will likely face challenges and bans, as do many others that depict trans and nonbinary gender identities. While I hope it will be harder for people to ban this book as they see the real children speaking to them from its pages, the cynic in me realizes that it will probably be banned in some places all the same. Perhaps, though, it just might give some people pause.
Highly recommended.
Readers may also be interested in co-author and photographer Shelley Rotner’s earlier book, Families.
