Gender Identity
Books
Stage Dreams - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43334239-stage-dreams
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Stage Dreams is a gorgeous graphic novel from cartoonist and author Melanie Gillman. This graphic novel is a “rollicking queer western adventure” about a trans runaway and a lesbian outlaw finding each other in the New Mexico territory and working together to thwart the plans of a group of Confederate generals. The illustrations are gorgeous and the plot is thrilling, but what is most magical about this book is the historically accurate research Gillman did to honor and recognize the lives of so many queer and genderqueer people who lived in the expanding American west. It is an important reminder that there have always been folks who existed outside of the traditional gender binary - their stories just need to be centered.
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Foglifter Journal and Press: https://foglifterjournal.com/
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Foglifter is an award-winning literary journal of fiction, poetry, essays, and LGBTQIA studies based out of San Francisco. The journal centers LGBTQ+ writers and aims to “queer our perspectives.” In addition to their bi-annual journal, they publish amazing chapbooks and anthologies and are working on a Queer Syllabus where writers can nominate work to be included in a new canon of queer literature.
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Bowties and Books Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bowtiesandbooks/
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Jesse, who runs the bookstagram Bowties & Books, is a non-binary, Black and Chicanx creator with excellent taste in YA queer books, non-binary books, sci-fi and fantasy books, clothes, and (yes) bowties. Bowties & Books is great for reading recs and outfit inspo. Sometimes Jesse even matches their clothes to their books, and it’s pretty delightful. Also to check out: Bowties & Books also has a YouTube channel, and Jesse also runs the Enby Book Club which highlights non-binary creators.
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Anna’s Sweets and Stories Bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/annas_sweets_and_stories/
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Anna is a baker and bookstagrammer who calls herself “the opinionated cookie lady.” She shares queer book reviews and delicious pastry pictures, sometimes even a picture of her cute dog, and it might all be pure joy. While she doesn’t exclusively review YA queer books, that tends to be her focus.
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TRANScending Identities: A Bibliography of Resources on Gender Variance, Transgender and Intersex Topics
http://www.ala.org/rt/sites/ala.org.rt/files/content/professionaltools/glbtrt_trans_08.pdf
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For those really hungry for information, the San Francisco Public Library’s got you. They’ve compiled an extensive list of non-fiction books, fiction books, articles, documentaries, and websites about and for the transgender community. Note that this resource was put together in 2008, so you’ll want to look elsewhere for newer releases, but otherwise the TRANScending Identities Bibliography is a solid place to start.
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All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson: https://beta.thestorygraph.com/books/ad41a899-0305-4ee5-9cca-f91568d76ab9
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If you enjoy memoirs, check out All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (whose pronouns are he/they). This memoir is a reflection on Johnson’s childhood and youth, Blackness, queerness, and growth. In particular, look for Johnson’s discussion of his alter-ego Dominique, who Johnson said in an interview with The Huffington Post helped him “understand my thought process at that time of thinking I may have wanted to be a girl, but not having any language to know what that was back then.” This memoir deals with some heavy moments, but it’s also a celebration of Black joy and boyhood.
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I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver: https://beta.thestorygraph.com/profile/53542ddd-771c-4c97-96c6-3c075634d28e
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Mason Deaver is nonbinary and the story is about finding family and building relationships; less about identity development than finding support once you know who you are.This might make it less relevant for our chosen focus, Or, it could be helpful for questioning teens to see people with different identities navigating life. If you’re looking for #OwnVoices fiction about being a nonbinary teen, check out I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (they/them). This book follows Ben, who has to create their own family after their parents kick them out for coming out as nonbinary. Ben knows exactly who they are - now they just need to surround themselves with people who will support them unconditionally. This is a beautiful story of connection and support; it sounds tragic, but Ben’s story is one of pursuing joy and meaningful relationships.
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The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta: https://beta.thestorygraph.com/books/c465dade-9aeb-4778-965d-20669922c121
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For a novel in verse about a teen grappling with enforced and rigid gender norms, look to The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (he/him). Michael’s family forces masculinity upon him, but he finds joy and freedom in performing in drag. His play with gender expression frees him from the confines of gender norms and allows him to show the world who he truly is.
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The YA/MG Trans & Nonbinary Voices Masterlist: https://raystoeve.com/the-ya-trans-ownvoices-masterlist/
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If the books we’ve provided aren’t floating your boat - or if you just need way more trans and genderqueer representation on your bookshelf! - Ray Stoeve (they/them) has compiled a masterlist of young adult novels featuring trans and nonbinary characters. This masterlist allows you to sort by other information too, like whether the book is fiction or nonfiction, or the main character’s identities. This is a one-stop shop for books written by and about trans and gender non-conforming folks.
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