Children

Gender Spectrum Education and Training
“We provide education, resources and training to help you create a more gender sensitive and supportive environment for all people, including gender variant and transgender youth.
In a simple, straightforward manner, we help students, families, schools, and organizations understand and address the concepts of gender identity. Our accessible, practical approach is based on research and experience, enabling our clients to gain a deeper understanding of gender variance."

Web: www.genderspectrum.org

Early Childhood Development-Your Options-How Do I Know If My Child Is Transgender?
By Stephanie Brill and Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW
Web: www.helpstartshere.org/Default.aspx?PageID=1114

 

Transgender Resources for Teens: Transgender Soul                                                                                                                                    http://transgendersoul.com/page23/Teens.html                                                                                                                                                                             Rachael St.Claire PsyD, Licensed Psychologist
720-220-5770

Transgender Youth: Providing Medical Treatment for a Misunderstood Population

By Stephanie Brill & Jennifer Hastings. http://nwhn.org/transgender-youth-providing-medical-treatment-misunderstood-population

Transgender Teen Project of Santa Cruz County

Focusing on transgender students in middle school and high school, the goal of the Trans Teen Project is to bring attention to gender identity/expression of K-12 students and how AB 537 mandates safe schools for all students, including transgender students. A project of the Queer Youth Task Force.

Tel: 831-427-4004  Email: info@qytf.org  Web: http://www.qytf.org

 

Books         

Wittlinger, Ellen. Parrotfish.  (2007). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Brill, Stephanie & Pepper, Rachel. The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals. (2008). San Francisco: Cleis Press.

Bornstein, Kate. Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws. (2006). New York: Seven Stories Press.

 

Gender Transgression in Books for Children, Teens, and Caring Adults:

A Bibliography by Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public LibraryTEEN FICTION: 

Blacker, Terence.  Boy2Girl.  Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2005.  On a dare from his cousin, Sam agrees to attend the first week of his new school dressed as a girl and comes to find that there are things he likes about being Samantha.  In the end, he gives up the ruse, but interesting questions about gender and gender identity have been raised for all.     For younger teens. 

Block, Francesca Lia. “Dragons in Manhattan” in Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories. HarperCollins, 1996. Tuck, lives with her lesbian mothers, and discovers a surprising secret when she goes in search of her biological father. 

Brothers, Meaghan.  Debbie Harry Sings in French.  Holt, 2008. After the death of his father, Johnny and his mother both suffer some serious setbacks, but Johnny’s life begins to turn around when he is sent to live with an uncle. While there, he discovers and accepts his identity as a cross-dresser.

 

Bujold, Lois McMaster.  A Civil Campaign.   Baen, 1999.  Part of the Miles Vorkosigan intergalactic saga, this book includes a sympathetic female-to-male transsexual character. 

 

Cortez, Jaime.  Sexile/Sexilio.  [Los Angeles]:  Institute for Gay Men's Health, c2004.    Bi-lingual graphic novel tells the story of a Cuban exile who first thinks he’s gay, then realizes he’s really transgender. Some “mature” content.

Coville, Bruce. “The Secret of Life According to Aunt Gladys” in Dirty Laundry: Stories About Family Secrets, edited by Lisa Rowe Fraustino. Viking, 1998. Randy discovers he has an Uncle George whom the family “doesn’t talk about,” and when George arrives for an unexpected visit, Randy discovers why.      Crane, Tristan and Ted Naifeh. How Loathsome.  ComicsLit, c2004. Graphic (and sometimes gritty) novel exploration of San Francisco’s genderqueer culture.   

Donoghue, Emma.  “The Welcome.”   Love and Sex:  Ten Stories of Truth, edited. by Michael Cart.  Simon & Schuster, 2001.   This story describes an incident in a communal house of young women. The narrator is a lesbian, and toward the end of the story, it is revealed (many years after the fact) that one of the women in question was in the process of transitioning from female to male.   

Dunnion, Kristyn.  Mosh Pit.  Red Deer Press, 2005.  In this often depressing story of teens living on the edge, one of protagonist Simone’s more supportive friends is Carlotta, a transgender teen helping to raise her siblings and nephew.  

Durrant, Lynda. My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier.  Clarion, 2006.  Based on a true story, Jennie began cross-dressing as a young child to earn a living, and continued doing so until being discovered in old age.  Age 12 and up.     

Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex.  Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2002. This remarkable family saga spans continents and generations as it tells the story of the intersexed Cal who describes being born twice—once as a baby girl, and again as a teenaged boy. For older teens.   Flying Cups & Saucers: Gender Explorations in Science Fiction & Fantasy.  Debbie Notkin & the Secret Feminist Cabal, editors.  Edgewood Press, 1998 

Gardner, James Alan.  Commitment Hour.  Avon Eos, 1998.  In Tober Cove, children change gender every year, but at twenty must choose one gender or another, or be banned from the community. When Fullin refuses to deny a whole part of him/herself the community is thrown into upheaval.

Gould, Lois. “X: A Fabulous Child’s Story.” in Prejudice: Stories About Hate, Ignorance, Revelation, and Transformation.  Daphne Muse, editor.  Hyperion Books for Children, 1995. X’s parents have decided to raise X without letting anyone know if X is a boy or a girl. 

Hartzell, Andy.  Fox Bunny Funny.  Top Shelf Productions, 2007.  In this graphic novel a young teen-aged fox boy secretly desires to be a bunny. Three episodes depict his cross-dressing experiments, his self-loathing, and his physical transformation to bunnyhood.   

How Beautiful the Ordinary. Edited by Michael Cart. Bowen Press / Harper Teen, 2009. This collection includes a couple of stories of interest to transgender readers, including Jaqueline Woodson’s “Trev,” as well as a ghost story about a girl trapped in the walls of a house.Hyde, Catherine Ryan.  Jumpstart the World.  Knopf, 2010. Elle finds out that the helpful guy next door, with whom she is falling in love, is transgender. Ihimaera, Witi Tame. The Whale Rider.  Harcourt, 2003, 1987. Eight-year-old Kahu persists in challenging her grandfather’s notion that only a male may inherit the leadership of their Maori clan.  Katcher, Brian.  Almost Perfect.  Delacorte, 2009.  Logan falls hard for new girl, Sage, only to find out that she is not what she seems. Will prejudice and fear, or love, triumph?

Lantz, Francess.  “Standing on the Roof Naked” in On the Fringe.  Dial, 2001.  Jeannie is an androgynous teen who wanted to be a boy for most of her childhood. Now in high school, she doesn’t know who or what she is—girl, boy, gay, straight? 

Lee, Youngran. Click. Glendale, CA: Netcomics. Graphic Novel series featuring a transgender character.Matthews, Andrew.  The Flip Side.  Mammoth, 2001; Delacorte, 2003.  When Robert dons a dress in English class to play the part of Rosalind in As You Like It, some new, and somewhat alarming feelings are stirred up.  Meyer, L.A.  Bloody Jack:  Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy. Harcourt, c2002.  Orphaned Jacky Faber, disguises herself as a boy and signs on with the British army in search of pirates. Jacky’s adventures continue in Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Under the Jolly Roger, In the Belly of the Bloodhound, and Missippi Jack.     Nishimori, Hiroyuki. Cheeky Angel (series).  San Francisco: VIZ, 2004-. A hard-of-hearing genie turns Megumi into a girl, but Megumi stays true to his male self in this graphic novel series.  Also available in Chinese.

Peters, Julie Anne.  grl2grl.  Little Brown and Co., 2007.  Nine stories about teen lesbians and one about a transgender boi. 

Peters, Julie Anne. Luna. Little, Brown and Co., 2004. Fifteen-year-old Regan’s brother Liam has decided to move on from secretly dressing in her clothes to coming out as transgender.       Plum-Ucci, Carol. What Happened to Lani Garver.  Harcourt, 2002. Lani Garver refuses to be categorized as male or female, even if it means facing bigoted teenage violence.     

Rosen, Selina.  Sword Masters. Dragon Moon Press, 2008.  Disguised as a male and living as a warrior in order to avenge her parents deaths, Tarius still has to face living in a society where women do not go to war—or fall in love with their sword master’s daughter.

 

Rosoff, Meg.  What I Was.  Viking, 2008.  The narrator, a one hundred year old man named only H, recalls his first love, a teenaged boy named Finn who fends for himself on an island reachable only by boat, or a sand bar at low tide. H visits as often as he can escape his nearby gloomy British boarding school. When Finn becomes ill, and H finds him shivering in own filth and blood, he must take action even if it means betraying Finn’s trust. Finn is discovered not to be whom or what H has assumed, and his reaching out for help changes the lives of Finn, H, and their respective families, as well as that of a classmate.  

Satyal, Rakesh. Blue Boy. Kensington, 2009. Playing with dolls and liking ballet don’t exactly help Kiran fit in at school or at home, but when he realizes he’s an incarnation of a god, things get even more interesting.Sobol, Rose. Woman Chief.  Dial Press, 1976. Based on a true story, this is a fictional account of Woman Chief who was recognized as a hunter, warrior, and leader, and who had five wives.  St. James, James.  Freak Show.  Dutton, 2007.  Drag Queen Billy Bloom suffers abuse at the hands of his classmates, finally ending up in a coma, but stands up for himself with humor and finds an ally in the school football hero.Takahashi, Rumiko. Ranma ½. San Francisco: Viz Communications, c1993-<2001>. Manga in which the main character changes gender every time he comes into contact with water.   Trujillo, Carla.  What Night Brings.  Curbstone Press, 2003.  What Marci Cruz prays to God, the Virgin Mary, and Baby Jesus to bring her each night is a change of gender—because she likes girls and the only way to marry one is to be a boy.   

Wittlinger, Ellen.  Parrotfish.  Simon & Schuster, 2007. Grady is transitioning from F to M, and this insightful book explores the reactions of family, friends, classmates, and teachers. Age 12 and up. 

 

Woolf, Virginia. Orlando: A Biography.  New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, [1973, 1928]. Woolf’s novel-length love letter to Vita Sackville-West features the gender changing Orlando as Vita.  Older teens.

Yoshimoto, Banana.  Kitchen.  Washington Square Press, 1993.  A Tokyo college student moves in with a friend and his transvestite father after being orphaned. Age 16-up. 

 TEEN NON-FICTION: Abrahams, George, PhD. Boy v. Girl? How Gender Shapes Who We Are, What We Want, and How We Get Along.  Free Spirit Publishing, 2002. While not about transgender issues, this book encourages young people to question gender role stereotypes through a variety of questions and exercises.  Teen.   

Becoming: Young Ideas on Gender, Identity, and Sexuality.  Diane Anderson-Minshall and Gina de Vries, editors; foreword by Zoe Trope. Xlibris Corp., c2004. 

Bornstein, Kate.  Hello, Cruel World:  101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws.  Seven Stories Press, 2006.  Feinberg, Leslie. Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman.  Beacon Press, 1996. Feinberg takes a look at transgender issues and persons throughout history. 

Fielding, Sarah and Jessica Pettitt.  Beginning the Conversation: Lambda 10 Project Fraternity & Sorority Transgender Resource Guide. Charlotte, NC: Lambda 10 Project, 2008.

The Full Spectrum: a New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities.  Edited by David Levithan and Billy Merrell. Knopf, 2006.                   

Huegel, Kelly.  GLBTQ:  The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens.  Free Spirit, 2003.  Easy to read book about what it means to be GLBTQ in the real world: family, school, relationships, sex and sexual health, etc., with quotes from young people about their own experiences. The chapter on transgender teens is good, with a good list on internet resources, but it’s placement near the end of the book makes it seem like somewhat of an afterthought. 

Hunter, Nan. The Rights of Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, and Transgender People:  The Authoritative ACLU Guide to a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender Person's Rights.  Southern Illinois University Press, 2004. 

Keen, Lisa.  Out Law:  What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights.  Beacon Press, c2007.

Our Place On Campus : Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Services and Programs in Higher Education.  Edited by Ronni Sanlo, Sue Rankin, and Robert Schoenberg.  Greenwood Press, 2002.            Teen/Adult. 

Scholinski, Daphne.  The Last Time I Wore a Dress.  Riverhead Books, 1997.  Scholinski was institutionalized for three years in the 1980s for “failure to identify as a sexual female.”   

Smith, Claiborne.  “The Wrong Body.”  Rush Hour:  A Journal of Contemporary Voices, Vol. 3, Face, April 2005, pp. 135-151.  Delacorte Press.  Brief interviews with several transgender people, aimed at a teen audience.       Stage 9: Poetry, Confessions, and Jive from the Ninth Grade.  Milwaukee, WI: The Alliance School, 2009. Material produced by students in the Gay Arts Center at the Alliance School.

Stryker, Susan. Transgender History. Seal Press, 2008.

Trope, Zoe. Please Don’t Kill the Freshman: a Memoir.  HarperCollins Canada, 2003. This fictionalized memoir tells the story of Zoe in her early teens.  Her girlfriend’s transition to become her boyfriend affects her new-found queer identity. Age 14-up. 

Windmeyer, Shane L.  The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students.  Alyson Books, 2006.       

VIDEOS:  

Boy I Am. Produced by Sam Feder and Judith Hollar. Distributed by Women Make Movies. 2007 (?). A documentary about three young FTM people undergoing surgery and hormone treatments, and the ways in which young FTMs interact with the lesbian community.  Teen.

Just Call Me Kade.  Produced and scripted by Sam Zolten. Frameline, c2001. Documentary about sixteen year old Kade, who, with the support of his parents began the transition from female to male.  Teen.

No Dumb Questions: a Documentary Film. Produced, directed and edited by Melissa Regan.  Epiphany Productions/New Day Films, 2001. www.newday.com. Uncle Bill is becoming a woman, and his three nieces are helped by their parents to understand and accept the transformation into Aunt Barbara. All ages. 

 TEEN ARTICLES:Booth, Stephanie. “Their True Selves,” Teen People: June/July 2003. TEEN WEB SITES:

Advocates for Youth: www.advocatesforyouth.org

Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network: www.glsen.org

*Laura’s Playground:  www.lauras-playground.com/teens.htm - I suggest parent’s preview this website.

National Youth Advocacy Coalition:  www.nyacyouth.org/

Safe School Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org

TransProud:  www.transproud.org

Youth Resource: http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/youthresource

 CHILDREN’S FICTION:Boenke, Mary. Carly, She's Still My Daddy. Transgender Network of PFLAG, http://pflag.org/TNET_Store.788.0.html. Also distributed by Two Lives Publishing (www.twolives.com). This pamphlet explores the transition of Carl to Carly, from a child’s point of view, explaining the differences between various genderqueer experiences.     Age 4 and up. Block, Francesca Lia. “Dragons in Manhattan” in Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories. HarperCollins, 1996. Tuck, who lives with her lesbian mothers, discovers a surprising secret when she goes in search of her biological father.     Age 11 and up.   Burningham, John. Avocado Baby. Crowell, 1982. A genderless baby grows very strong eating avocados and defends the family.     Age 3-5.  Cole, Babette. Princess Smartypants. Putnam, 1987, 1986. Princess Smartypants prefers to stay a “Ms.” and easily dispatches all but one of her annoying suitors. Ridding herself of the final one presents a bit more of a challenge.   Age 3-7.   DePaola, Tomie. Oliver Button is a Sissy. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979. Young Oliver isn’t interested in sports and other “boy” things, preferring to dance. Despite teasing him, his father allows him to take dancing lessons “for the exercise,” and Oliver impresses everyone at a talent show.     Age 4-7.   

Durrant, Lynda. My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier.  Clarion, 2006.  Based on a true story, Jennie began cross-dressing as a young child to earn a living, and continued doing so until being discovered in old age.     Age 12 and up.   

 Ewert, Marcus.  10,000 Dresses.  Seven Stories Press, 2008. Every night, Bailey dreams about the most amazing dresses. Every day, when she tells her family about her dreams, they insist that Bailey is a boy, and that dresses are for boys. Finally Bailey finds a friend who accepts her for who she is, and helps her dreams come true. Age 3-7. Fierstein, Harvey. The Sissy Duckling. Simon & Schuster, 2002. Elmer the duckling is not like the other boy ducklings, and suffers the derision of his schoolmates and his father, but he proves that a “sissy” can be a real hero.     Age 4-7.    Funke, Cornelia. The Princess Knight.  Chicken House/Scholastic, 2004, 2003. Despite the taunting of her brothers, Princess Violetta becomes a talented knight, and when her father proposes to give her hand in marriage to the knight who wins a tournament, Violetta uses her brains as well as her brawn to outwit him.   Age 4-7.       Geeslin, Campbell. Elena’s Serenade. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004. Elena disguises herself as a boy and learns to be a glassblower like her father, finally earning his respect for her artistry.     Age 3-7.   

Gruska, Denise.  The Only Boy in Ballet Class.  Gibbs Smith, 2007.  People don’t understand how wonderful dancing makes Tucker feel, and he is teased and taunted, until his dance skills lead to a stunning move on the football field.  Similar titles include Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie DePaola, and Max by Rachel Isadora.     Age 5-8.

 Howe, James. Horace and Morris, but Mostly Dolores. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1999. Horace, Morris and Dolores learn that it’s more fun to play with like-minded friends, than to conform to gender stereotypes.    Age 3-7.   Howe, James. Pinky and Rex and the Bully.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1996. When the neighborhood bully gets on his case about liking the color pink, and having a female best friend, Pinky begins to doubt himself. With the support of a neighbor, he decides to be true to himself and stand up to the bully.    Age 4-8.   

Huser, Glen. Stitches.  Groundwood Books, 2003.  Sensitive, creative Travis doesn’t conform to gender roles and is tormented by bullies and his uncle, though the support of his best friend, Chantelle, his aunt, mother, and a couple of teachers help him get through middle school.    Age 11-15.   

 Isaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel. Dutton Children’s Books, 1994. Angelica Longrider, aka Swamp Angel is as big a hero as Paul Bunyan, taking on grizzly bears and even tornados.    Age 4-7.   Isadora, Rachel. Max. Macmillan; London: Collier Macmillan, c1976. Max warms up for his weekly baseball game by attending ballet class.    Age 4-7.    

Jimenez, Karleen Pendleton. Are You a Boy or a Girl? Green Dragon Press, 2000. A young athlete follows her interests, even when others question whether they are suitable for girls.    Age 4-8.  Available from Two Lives Publishing: www.twolives.com.

 

Leaf, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand. Viking Press, 1936. To his mother’s concern, Ferdinand the bull doesn’t like to romp around and butt heads with the other young bulls, but prefers to sit and smell the flowers.    Age 4-7.   

 Milgram, David.  Time to Get Up, Time to Go. Clarion Books, 2006.  A young boy cares for his blue doll, feeding it, taking it to the park, and reading it a story, during his day. Munsch, Robert.  The Paper Bag Princess.  Brave Princess Elizabeth sets off to the rescue, dressed in a paper bag after a dragon has burned down her castle and kidnapped her husband-to-be, Prince Ronald. Ronald, however, is not thankful, but tells her she smells of ashes and looks terrible dressed in a paper bag. Princess Elizabeth knows what’s good for her, and cancels the wedding. 

Newman, Leslea. A Fire Engine for Ruthie.  Clarion Books, 2004. Nana has dolls and dress-up clothes for Ruthie to play with, but Ruthie would rather have a fire engine.    Age 2-5. 

 

Parr, Todd.  It’s Okay to Be Different. Little, Brown, 2001. While not specifically addressing gender issues, the book enumerates many ways in which it’s okay to be different.    Age 3-7. 

 Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The First Adventure. Athenuem, 1983. In the first of the “Song of the Lioness” series, young Alanna disguises herself as a boy and sets off to become a knight.    Age 9-up. (See many other titles by this author).   Plourde, Lynn. School Picture Day. Dutton Children’s Books, 2002. Josephina Caroleena Wattasheena’s talent in taking things apart to see how they work comes in handy on school picture day when the photographer’s camera goes on the blink. Age 4-7.     

Sobol, Rose. Woman Chief.  Dial Press, 1976. Based on a true story, this is a fictional account of Woman Chief who was recognized as a hunter, warrior, and leader, and who had five wives.    Age 10-15. 

 

Walliams, David. The Boy in the Dress.  Razorbill, 2008. Twelve-year-old Dennis’s interests range from soccer to fashion design, and when he is befriended by a like-minded girl at school, he begins cross-dressing, to the dismay of his father, brother, and school principal. However, his prowess on the soccer field wins everyone over, and he ultimately discovers that he is not the only person to enjoy cross-dressing.

 Zolotow, Charlotte. William’s Doll.  Harper & Row, 1972. Young William wants a doll, but his father refuses, and his brother and the neighbor boy tease him. Finally his grandmother convinces his father that having a doll will help teach William how to be a good father. Age 3-6.   CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION:

Anderson, Hans Christian.  The Ugly Duckling. Adapted and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.  New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1999.  Even the ugly duckling’s mother knew there was something different about him.[1] 

DePaola, Tomie “26 Fairmount Avenue” (series), G.P. Putnam, 1999. DePaola, recounts his childhood exploits, including dressing up as Snow White for Halloween, using his mother’s lipstick to dress up as his favorite actress, Mae West, and so forth. Age 5-8. 

Green, Michelle Y. A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002. Mamie overcomes sexism and racism to play pro-ball in the Negro Leagues. Age 8-12.   

Hughes, Susan.  No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom, and Adventure. Kids Can Press, 2008. As noted in the title, this graphic-novel format collection of biographies mostly features women who chose to dress as men for the sake of expediency, although there are a couple included who did live most of their lives as men.

 

Kay, Verla.  Rough, Tough Charley.  Tricycle Press, 2007.  Charley Pankhurst drove stagecoach for Wells Fargo, voted in California years before women got the vote, and died with his secret identity intact.

Moss, Marissa. Mighty Jackie: The Strikeout Queen.  Simon & Schuster, 2004. Non-fiction account of teenaged Jackie Mitchell who pitched against baseball greats Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Age 4-8.   CHILDREN’S / FAMILY INTEREST VIDEOS:

No Dumb Questions: a Documentary Film.  by Melissa Regan.  New Day Films. www.newday.com. Uncle Bill is becoming a woman, and his three nieces are helped by their parents to understand and accept the transformation into Aunt Barbara. All ages. 

 Oliver Button is a Star. Produced by Dan Hunt. Directed by John Scagliotti. [United States]: Oliver Button Project, c2001. Features a retelling of the book, with interviews of first graders and celebrities about sex roles and following one’s dreams.    

FOR PARENTS & SUPPORTIVE ADULTS OF GENDER-VARIANT

AND TRANSGENDER CHILDREN & YOUTH 

Beam, Cris.  Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers.  Harcourt, 2007. After volunteer teaching transgender and queer teens in a “last hope” school in Los Angeles, Beam finds herself getting further involved with some of them, ultimately unofficially foster-parenting Christina.  

Bigner, Jerry.  Transitioning Youth: A Manual for Mental Health Practitioners Working With Transsexual Youth. Taylor & Francis, 2009.

Brill, Stephanie and Rachel Pepper.  The Transgender Child:  A Handbook for Families and Professionals.  San Francisco, Cleis Press, 2008. Parents, trainers, and activists Brill and Pepper guide parents (and professionals) through the issues of raising a transgender child.

Brown, Mildred L.  True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism—for Family, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals.  San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1996, 2003.

Burt, Tracy, et. al. Making Room in the Circle: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Families in Early Childhood Settings.  Parent Services Project. PSP Inc. 79 Belvedere St. #101 , San Rafael, California 94901, Phone: 415.454.1870 , Fax: 415.454.1752.

Campos, David.  Diverse Sexuality and Schools:  A Reference Handbook.  ABC-CLIO, c2003. 

Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy Tine.  Transgenderism and Intersexuality in Childhood and Adolescence:  Making Choices:  Vol. 46.  Sage Publications, 2003.  Aimed at the professional community, this volume explores medical, psychological, and legal issues related to transgender and inter-sexed children and teens. 

DeCrescenzo, Teresa and Gerald P. Mallon.  Serving Transgender Youth:  The Role of Child Welfare Systems:  Proceedings of a Colloquium, September 2000.  Washington, DC:  Child Welfare League of America, 2002. 

Dillon, Florence.  Why Don't You Tell Them I'm a Boy? Raising a Gender- Nonconforming Child. A mother's experience with raising a transgender (FtM) son. Available online at: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/whydontyoutellthem.pdf

Fish, Linda Stone and Rebecca G. Harvey.  Nurturing Queer Youth:  Family Therapy Transformed.  Norton & Company, 2005.  Aimed at the therapeutic professional, this volume will offer insights to families of GLBTQ youth. 

Greytak, Emily A, et.al.  Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools.  GLSEN, 2009. http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/000/001/1375-1.pdf

Hunter, Nan. The Rights of Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, and Transgender People:  The Authoritative ACLU Guide to a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender Person's Rights.  Southern Illinois University Press, 2004. 

Just Evelyn. “Mom, I Need to be a Girl.” Imperial Beach, CA: Walter Trook Pub, 1998. Download from http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Evelyn/Evelyn.html. Available in Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. 

Preventing Prejudice:  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Lesson Plans for Elementary Schools.  Buena Vista Lesbian and Gay Parents Group, 1999. 

Ramsey, Gerald. Transsexuals: Candid Answers to Private Questions. Crossing Press, 1996. Although a bit dated, Ramsey addresses many of the concerns and questions of the transgender person and his or her family and friends. 

Sissies and Tomboys: Gender Nonconformity and Homosexual Childhood.  Matthew Rottnek, editor. New York University Press, c1999. Questioning the diagnosis of gender identity disorder, this book posits what a genderqueer childhood could be like without the attached stigmas.   

Social Services with Transgendered Youth.  Gerald P. Mallon, editor. Co-published simultaneously as “Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services,” Volume 10, Numbers 3/4, 1999. Harrington Park Press, c1999.  Trans Forming Families: Real Stories About Transgendered Loved Ones.  Mary Boenke, editor. Walter Trook Pub., 1999. Family members of transgender individuals talk about their feelings and experiences as they strive to accept the changes in their loved one. Includes a section on raising genderqueer children.   WEB SITES: 

Family Acceptance Project:  http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/

Human Rights Watch, Hatred in the Hallways:  www.hrw.org/reports/2001/uslgbt/Gender Spectrum Family: www.genderspectrumfamily.org Gender-Variant Children: http://www.childrensnational.org/DepartmentsAndPrograms/default.aspx?Id=6178&Type=Program&Name=Gender%20and%20Sexuality%20Psychosocial%20Programs 

PFLAG Transgender Network: http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=380

Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org/RG-gender_nonconforming_trans_youth.html. This site has lots of good links for families and youth.            

Trans Family:    www.transfamily.org

Trans Youth Family Allies: http://www.imatyfa.org/

If you’d like to suggest any additions or corrections to the resource list please contact Shanti Zunes-Wolfe at shanti@coho.org 

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The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz