Help students understand ways gender stereotyping impacts all children. Today, writer and designer sharon mentyka launched a kickstarter campaign for her new book, b in the world, a children s book that tells the story of a gender nonconforming kid named b. Books with transgender and gender nonconforming themes. One of the classics of queer literature, virginia woolfs orlando stands singular amongst its peers as a novel centering on gender and identity. Written by a child psychologist who works with trans and gendernonconforming kids, this picture book tells the story of young trans boy keith, who is currently known to his family, friends, and classmates as kathy. Sarah and ian hoffman, authors of new childrens book. While there are quite a few ya books written about people who transition from one binary gender to the other, alex in alyssa brugmans novel is the first explicitly gender nonconforming person. Picture books for gender nonconforming children 7 books. This qualitative research examines 20 of these books, published between 1972 and 2014. Gender neutral or nonconforming picture books by librarybeast a communitycreated list. Its a new childrens book series thats going to pick up soon that follows the experiences and growth of a gender nonconforming child. Fiction books about gender identity orlando by virginia woolf. Historically, childrens stories havent done much to challenge the gender role status quo. Sandy was like many parents i met while doing research for my new book on families raising gender nonconforming children.
My path to womanhood, identity, love, and so much more by janet mock. Lesson plans to help students understand gender and to. But all gendernonconforming children have one thing in common. At ages 5 to 6 years, most children are rigid about gender stereotypes and preferences. For woolf, for whom gender was a constriction both in terms of her career and her romantic life, orlando seems an exploration of a world in which the binary is infinitely. For instance, a person with the sex of female may feel that their gender should be male. She debunks outmoded approaches to gender nonconformity that may actually do children harm. The paper bag princess of one childrens book of many that teaches a valuable lesson about gender roles. Typically, we see the stereotypical roles of girls and boys take shape on the pages.
Harcourt childrens books, ages 48 williams doll, charlotte zolotow and wlliam pene dubois, 1985. I swear ehrensaft is the patron saint of kids who dont conform to traditional gender norms. Celebrate pride month with these picture and chapter books about kids who are transgender or gender nonconforming. Children s picture books that feature trans, nonbinary and non gender conforming characters. Childrens books about gender nonconformity building. For the parents of gendernonconforming kids, a new. However, because gender stereotypes are reinforced, some children learn to behave in ways that bring them the most reward, despite their authentic gender identity. The 21 best transgender and gender nonconforming books. The transformation of an american family by amy ellis nutt. Since that time other children s picture books featuring gender nonconforming boys have been published, telling stories about boys who dance, cook, and prefer to wear dresses. It implies that conformity is a good and desirable thing, rather than something that harms everyone. A trans and gender nonconforming reading list for all ages. Its ok to be neither rethinking schools publishers.
A childrens book called jacobs new dress was meant to teach children a lesson about bullying and acceptance, but its inclusion in curriculum inspired backlash from conservative powers. Childrens book about gender nonconforming boy banned. Books for kids the hrc foundations welcoming schools project provides this list of books that teaches children about gender identity and exposes them to examples of transgender and gender nonconforming people. Pediatricians stand ready to assist in the healthy development of transgender and gender diverse children. A comprehensive collection of research, resources, and stories to help any parent, family member, or guardian learn more about gender diversity. Understanding gender nonconformity in childhood and. Children and parents alike can step into a world where boys wear dresses, princesses play sports, and selfacceptance reigns. Transgender and gender diverse children like all children need support, love and care from family, school and society. Julian is a mermaid by jessica love, jacobs new dress by sarah hoffman, raising my rainbow. News about the transgender communityincluding banned books, bathroom laws, hockey, wrestlers, models, parades, jackie and juliet evancho, and, most tragically, a horrifying murder caught on cellphone videohave all made recent headlines. Granting children a confidence and selfassuredness early in life, through these stories and books, would make for much happier tales of growing up as gender nonconforming. There are obvious problems with using nonconformity as a way to describe people who dont follow gender norms.
When supported and loved as they grow and develop, kids mature into happy and healthy adults. Sarah and ian hoffman, parents to sam, a gender nonconforming 12yearold, and his sister, recently published a children s book inspired by their familys story, jacobs new dress. Charlottemecklenburg schools cms pulled the book from the firstgrade curriculum after legislators got wind of it and objected. Childhood gender nonconformity cgn is a phenomenon in which prepubescent children do not conform to expected gender related sociological or psychological patterns, or identify with the opposite sex gender.
Its by rae ludwig and talcott broadhead, and i think it hits a lot of very relevant points. Ehrensaft has written a seminal and informative book that fills what has been a gaping abyss in the literature for parents rearing gender nonconforming children. By studying the 85 gender nonconforming children she recruited, her team has now shown, in two separate ways, that those who go on to transition do so because they already have a strong sense of. There are childrens picture books like my princess boy and 10,000 dresses, and books for parents like gender born, gender made.
All hrc welcoming schools lessons are aligned with the common core state standards. It supports trans children who are worried about being bullied or misunderstood. Books with transgender and gender nonconforming themes for younger kids one day when i was working the desk, a patron asked for help using the catalog. The book she was looking up happened to be one with a transgender protagonist, and i mentioned i. Understanding gender nonconformity in childhood and adolescence robert garofalo, md, mph division head. Harpertrophy, an imprint of harper collins publishers, young children pinky and rex part of a series, james howe and melissa sweet, 1990. The book will only be published with the help of crowdfunders. Help all of your students understand transgender and nonbinary children.
Typical behavior among those who exhibit the phenomenon includes but is not limited to a propensity to crossdress, refusal to take part. The gender nonconforming friendly office the clinical setting should be stocked with a variety of toys and books that are gender neutral or gender nonconforming. They highlight characters who are true to themselves. There are many ways to be a boy, girl, both or neither.
Most also categorize their own gender by age 3 years. Gender nonconforming childrens book launches fundraising. A trans and gender nonconforming reading list for all. I am glad to see more books about gender acceptance entering mainstream childrens literature, although i would like to see less message driven books surrounding this topic and more books about kids being kids no matter how or if they identify with any certain gender. This describes the difference between sex and gender. Diane ehrensaft has worked with children like felicia, sam, and maggie for over 30 years.
Sometimes the best way to teach a child about individuality, nonconformity, and diversity is with the rhythmic text, imaginative storylines, and captivating illustrations of a good book. Young trans children know who they are the atlantic. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The 21 best transgender and gender nonconforming books for kids 1. Supporting the families of gender nonconforming children. I got particularly absorbed in a book that had just been released titled gender born, gender made by diane ehrensaft, phd, which was written as a guidebook for raising healthy gender nonconforming children. In gender born, gender made, she offers parents, clinicians, and educators guidance on both the philosophical dilemmas and the practical, daily concerns of working with children who dont fit a typical gender mold. Free its ok to be neither teaching that supports gender variant children. These parents often struggled with the question of how to tell if their. Raising healthy gender nonconforming children by diane ehrensaft phd. The everyday experiences of a 1st grader push a teacher to confront gender issues in theclassroom. There have been few resources available for parents with children whose gender expression is notably different from their peers, and they are often isolated and frightened. Most of us have something nonconforming about the way we live and express our gender.
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