A stunning new book of more than 60 full-color photographs and accompanying interviews celebrates the lives of transgender and nonbinary people in their own words and those of their family members.
Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families includes interviews by editor Peggy Gillespie and photographs by Robin Rayne, Jill Meyers, and others, and was developed in collaboration with PFLAG National, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and Family Diversity Projects,
Some of the people featured are public figures who may be known to readers, such as Senator Sarah McBride, lawyer Kylar Broadus (the first trans person to testify in front of the United States Senate), drag entertainer TAYLOR ALXNDR, and writer Joy Ladin. Others are everyday folks whose roles include doctor, lawyer, police officer, cinematographer, psychologist, small business owner, student, real estate broker, teacher, truck driver, clergy member, activist, and more.
This powerful volume shows us the resilience of trans and nonbinary people as they face both individual and systemic challenges in a society that does not yet fully accept and support them. The range of identities portrayed is vast, and everyone’s story is different. We see the rich variety among trans and nonbinary people—in genders, racial and ethnic identities, religions, physical abilities, coming out journeys, family structures, parental titles, activities and interests, careers, and more. We learn about their connections to the various communities of which they are part. And we hear them in their own words and those of the people closest to them.
Particularly impactful, I think, are the clusters of stories that include that of a trans or nonbinary person and those of their partner/spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, or other family members, chosen or otherwise. All of these trans and nonbinary people are loved deeply, even if it sometimes took family and friends time to understand what it means to be trans or nonbinary. Importantly, too, we see the many joys of trans and nonbinary lives and the joy trans and nonbinary people bring to those who know them.
This is not intended to be a children’s book, although older youth as well as grown-ups may enjoy it. Note that there are some references to abuse, suicide, and other deaths in the text, although they are far from the focus. Younger children may be interested in the photos, however, and grown-ups may be able to briefly summarize the stories of the people in them as a launching point for conversation. At 374 pages of stories and images, plus additional pages of resources and other back matter, there’s bound to be something here that connects with readers’ own lives in one or more ways.
Gillespie describes herself in the introduction as “a 74-year-old bisexual and queer cisgender woman” and “the mother of a nonbinary 35-year-old.” She is also the co-founder (with photographer Gigi Kaeser) of Family Diversity Projects, a non-profit that for 30 years has been making and promoting traveling exhibits about marginalized people. It was the suggestion of genderqueer intern Jack Pierson to create the exhibit about trans and nonbinary people that became this book.
Readers here may be most familiar with Family Diversity Project’s earlier exhibit Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and Their Families, also published as a book. When that exhibit was first shown in schools in 1995, several communities responded with outrage and one sued. A federal court dismissed the case, however, saying the exhibit was protected under the First Amendment. Given the times we are in, Authentic Selves will likely face similar challenges, as Gillespie herself acknowledges. Like its predecessor, however, it feels like an equally necessary and important volume about queer lives.
The book is available for sale in both online and physical bookstores. To learn about hosting the photography exhibit, visit Family Diversity Projects.