by Sasha Aya, Lisa Marchiano, Stella O’Malley

Being the parent of a gender-questioning child is confusing. You want to do what’s best for your child, but doctors and therapists might make recommendations that conflict with your instincts as a parent, the person who best knows your child’s unique history, challenges and struggles. Do you immediately affirm a newly professed gender identity, watch and wait, or pursue some other path? While many books have been written for parents who choose to facilitate their child’s gender transition, there are almost no books for parents who do not think that social or medical transition is the best option for their child.

Every progressive parent of a girl on the path to medical gender transition must read this tiny, powerful book. Parents uneasy with the idea of radical medical interventions as a solution to their daughters’ deep psychological and social distress will find here affirmation of the wisdom of asking questions, thinking critically, and exploring a range of non-medicalizing ways to support their gender-non-conforming or gender distressed daughters. The author, a sociologist and social worker, traces for readers the origins of psychiatry’s pathologizing of gender non-conformity, reading the practice of “diagnosing” children’s violations of gender conventions as a means of “treating” nascent homosexuality.

by Pamela Garfield-Jaeger

Transgender issues have become ubiquitous in schools, entertainment, medicine, etc. and many do not know how to approach this sensitive issue. Due to the dominance of a one-sided approach, parents are ill-equipped to discuss this topic with their children or effectively advocate for their well-being.