Review
This book is the perfect follow up to The Transgender Child. It gently guides readers through the steep learning curve that often comes with supporting a transgender or non-binary teenager through their gender journey and helping them navigate their daily lives. Thoughtful and thorough, this book is a certainly a must read for parents and professionals.” -Asaf Orr, Transgender Youth Project Staff Attorney, NCLR
"As a health educator and as a parent, I can't think of a better resource to help adults navigate their relationships with the transgender teens in their lives. Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney do great job of providing a valuable roadmap both for adults new to the experiences of transgender teens as well as for those more seasoned." -Ellen Friedrichs, Sexual Health Educator and Writer
Cutting edge, The Transgender Teen, written by two of the most esteemed experts in our field, compassionately brings this exciting group of young people into focus like no other book ever has. In our new world of gender expansiveness, it is a must read for everyone.” -Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D., Author of The Gender Creative Child and Director of the Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Gender Center, University of California San Francisco
"Our daughter transitioned in her teens, seven years ago. This book speaks openly and clearly to all the issues we grappled with in ignorance and darkness. It’s an honest, straightforward, and important work that will help light and ease the journey for many families." -Catherine V. Hyde, Board Member
PFLAG National
"For some parents, learning that your child is transgender can be overwhelming, often with a sense of confusion, anxiety, fear, and helplessness. This comprehensive guide, written by experts whose work is dedicated to celebrating and honoring gender diversity with the recognition that positive mental health outcomes are likely when people have the courage to be their authentic selves and are respected for doing so, is invaluable. With a focus on adolescents, this book gives parents the resources to support their transgender teens. The information provided is nuanced, yet practical. It anticipates the readers' questions, and addresses them with facts, depth, and insight. With the recognition that everyone has a gender and that more and more individuals are recognizing their own gender diversity, this book is of value to any parent and to all health care providers who care for teens." - Dr. Stephen Rosenthal, Director of the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, Benioff Children's Hospital
"The Transgender Teen is monumental in the progression of human rights, acceptance of difference, and explanation of how society influences one’s view of gender. It not only reveals the complexity of gender, but also dispels the common myths and misconceptions about those who don’t fit perfectly in society’s gender categories. As the mother of a transgender child, I am relieved to have a resource that offers clear, practical solutions and strategies to help my child in the upcoming adolescent years. This book is a magnificent starting place to help guide any caregiver on the unknowns of raising a transgender, non-binary, or questioning teenager."
- Hillary Whittington, parent to a transgender teen
From the Back Cover
What do you do when your son announces he is transgender and asks that you call her by a new name? Or what if your child uses a term you’ve never heard of to describe themselves (neutrois, agender, non-binary, genderqueer, androgyne
) and when you didn’t know what they meant, they left the room and now won’t speak to you about it? Perhaps your daughter recently asked you not to use gendered pronouns when referring to her’ anymore, preferring that you use they”; you’re left wondering if this is just a phase, or if there’s something more that you need to understand about your child.
There is a generational divide in our understandings of gender. This book helps bridge that divide and provides practical information on helping your child navigate their world and build the resiliency they need to survive in often hostile situations. Raising a teenager is challenging; when the teen is transgender, or non-binary in their gender identity, the task becomes that much greater.
This comprehensive guidebook explores the unique challenges that thousands of families face every day raising a teenager who may be transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid or otherwise gender-expansive. Combining years of experience working in the field with extensive research and personal interviews, the authors cover pressing concerns relating to physical and emotional development, social and school pressures, medical considerations, and family communications. Learn how parents can more deeply understand their children, and raise their non-binary or transgender adolescent with love and compassion.
About the Author
Stephanie Brill is a leading expert on a broad range of topics related to gender diversity. She is the author of landmark books including The Transgender Teen (with Lisa Kenney) and The Transgender Child (with Rachel Pepper). She is the founder and Board Chair of Gender Spectrum, an organization at the forefront of work related to children, youth and gender. Her work has been featured on 20/20, The Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, All Things Considered, and The New York Times.
