For Nonbinary Parents Day today, listen to an absolutely beautiful, brand-new lullaby celebrating nonbinary parents and their varied parental names—a sneak peek from the upcoming album by award-winning children’s music trio Ants on a Log—and learn about two upcoming books and other resources for and about nonbinary parents and what they call themselves.
A Lullaby Celebrating Nonbinary Parents
The song “Moppa,” by the trans-led Ants on a Log, simply overflows with love and affirmation. It officially comes out (!) May 31, on their album Rainbow Seekers. (Here’s my review of the full album, which is packed full of queer joy.) Many thanks to the Ants for letting me share the lyric video of the song ahead of time.
There is unfortunately no way to preorder the album, so please follow the band on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, or your platform of choice and set an alert to be notified when something new drops. (You can also catch the Ants on tour!) Trust me, queer parents and those with queer kiddos are going to want this one.
Two Book Celebrating Nonbinary Parents (and Others)
Click images or titles for full reviews.
Just Like My Family, by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham (Running Press Kids), is a happy celebration of family members with a variety of gender identities, expressions, and titles, including (but not limited to) nonbinary parental and other familial titles like baba, zaza, zizi, nini, bibi, nibling, and grandy). This simple but recommended title by the queer and trans author-illustrator couple behind stationery company Ash + Chess comes out on May 7, but is available for preorder at Bookshop, Amazon, and elsewhere.
Who You Will Be, by Taylor Rouanzion, illustrated by Stacey Chomiak (Philomel), is a charming rhyming book in which two parents tell their newborn that they will accept and love them no matter what their gender expression. The parents are either a nonbinary parent and a mom or two moms, depending on how you read them. (The publisher’s blurb is happily vague.) Notably, we see that it is the more masculine-looking parent, with short hair and tattoos, who was pregnant. Despite questions from others about pink or blue nursery decor and gendered clothing, the parents insist, “That’s up to her, or them, or him.” This book also comes out on May 7, but is available for preorder at Bookshop, Amazon, and elsewhere.
More Nonbinary Parent Names
I love that the album and book above showcase some of the many nonbinary parental names used by real queer families, many of which I’ve collected over the years as part of the The Mombian LGBTQ Parental Names Project. These names need to be represented not only for the families that use them, but also to normalize them to help others refer to them correctly.
More than 400 LGBTQ parents have already submitted their parental names, nonbinary or otherwise; I encourage you to do the same! (Your personal names are anonymous unless you choose to include them.)
More Books With Nonbinary Parents
My Database of LGBTQ Family Books includes many more titles with nonbinary parents or adults:
I’m taking a broad view here in order to be as inclusive as possible; note that some characters’ identities are not specified but could be read as nonbinary. I recognize that different folks may have different definitions of nonbinary, too; my intent here is not to dictate, but rather to offer a selection from which you can choose what fits your viewpoint and needs.
Wishing all nonbinary parents a day full of joy—and lives full of affirmation and love.
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