Authentic Selves

Description

• Online campaign featuring social media images with blurbs and reviews of the book as well as designed graphics of excerpts.
• Early reviewer promotion through advance copies to encourage reader reviews and generate buzz. Extensive outreach for blurbs among LGBTQ public figures, organizations, and more.
• National review outreach to print publications (PW, Kirkus, Booklist, Library Journal, Foreword, New York Times) and online (NPR, Book Riot, Lit Hub, The Millions).
• Outreach to celebrities, public figures, LGBTQ organizations, and more with media kit.
• Advertising in print publications and online with a focus on LGBTQ media.
• Promotion on the publisher’s website (skinnerhouse.org), Twitter feed (@skinnerhouse), Instagram page (@skinnerhouse), Facebook page (/skinnerhouse), Tumblr page (@skinnerhousebooks), Pinterest (@skinnerhousebks) and publisher’s e-newsletter.
• Promotion during Pride Month, International Transgender Day of Visibility, LGBTQ History Month, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and International Nonbinary People's Day.

• Foreword by Jazz and Jeanette Jennings. Jazz Jennings is a transgender activist and the author of I Am Jazz and Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen. She is also the star of the GLAAD award winning docu-series I Am Jazz which focuses on her life with her family, including mom Jeanette. Jeanette Jennings is the President of Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation.
• Developed in collaboration with PFLAG National and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund.
• Statement by Executive Director of PFLAG National, Brian K. Bond. Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.
• 60+ full-color photographs and accompanying interviews.
• Diverse and inclusive collection of portraits and stories. Represents a wide variety of gender identities and expressions.
• Powerful resource for families especially in the early stages of their loved one's gender identity journey. They will see trans and nonbinary people and families of all kinds who are loving and supportive.

Foreword by Jazz and Jeanette Jennings

In the early 2000s, when we began our journey as a very young trans child and her family, we felt so alone and isolated. There were no books about transgender or nonbinary kids, almost no resources, and barely any positive representation in the media. It was like we had no echo. Our first chance to be part of a community, a place where we might be able to be ourselves and connect with others who mirrored our experience, was a family picnic hosted by a local LGBTQ center. We were so excited to be a part of a community, a place where we felt that we could be ourselves and bond with others who mirrored our experience. Unfortunately, there were no other transgender kids at the event. All the kids were cisgender children of same-sex couples. We felt so out of place. So disappointed. We just wanted to belong somewhere . . . anywhere.

Those early years were tough. Our family was on a long journey with no map, no compass, no captain, and other than our therapist, no one to guide us. Then the discrimination began. Bathrooms became inaccessible. The bullying surfaced, and the silence continued.

It’s a very long story, but the producers of the popular ABC television news show 20/20 heard about our family and the fact that we had a five-year-old transgender daughter. They presented our family with the opportunity to share our story publicly. We resisted. We were asked again and again, but the idea of putting ourselves out there on national television to expose a reality that was unknown but frowned upon by so many was terrifying.

After about a year of contemplating, we finally decided to move forward with appearing on 20/20, but only if the renowned journalist Barbara Walters would do the interview with our family. Our entire family participated because we wanted to show the importance of love and support for a transgender child. In our heart of hearts, we know we made the right choice so many years ago. The world needed to know that transgender children like me (Jazz) exist and are special and beautiful. Most importantly, we wanted other families like ours to know they were not alone.

From that moment forward, a tidal wave of families with young transgender children came forward. It reminded us of the scene from The Wizard of Oz when the Munchkins felt safe enough to abandon their hiding places and reveal themselves. We learned about the immense power of visibility. To us, visibility provides knowledge, and without both visibility and knowledge, we can’t expect the world to change.

Authentic Selves is a perfect and fantastic ensemble book that truly embodies the importance of visibility and the power of love. Love glows from every page. The reader is invited into a world of families, biological, adoptive, and chosen, that may be very different from their own, and in doing so, provides a new perspective. Learning more about people of different gender identities, expressions, and experiences and different ways of being a family help those of us who are trans and nonbinary to see that we belong to a larger community and that there are so many unique ways to express our authentic selves and live authentic lives. For those of us who are cisgender, it gives us a chance to deepen our understanding of, connections with, and empathy for our trans and nonbinary family, friends, and acquaintances.

In this foreword, the word alone is mentioned quite a lot, because both our family and the contributors to Authentic Selves want others to know they are not alone. Helping to create a safer world for trans and nonbinary children and adults and their families is why we have continued to live our lives so publicly and why we want to add our voices of praise to this powerful book. We decided to write this foreword because, like everyone who chose to be part of Authentic Selves, we want to celebrate love. Being a part of a loving family of any kind means you are a branch in a beautiful tree that will embrace you for the rest of your life.

Sharing true stories is often the only way we can connect deeply and authentically as humans. Real stories of lived experience give readers a chance to learn from other peoples’ experiences and in doing so can shape, strengthen, or challenge our opinions and values. Authentic Selves offers readers an opportunity to grow both spiritually and emotionally and to gain amazing insight into how to take action to protect trans and nonbinary rights.

Thank you, Peggy Gillespie for your heartfelt interviews and your vision to create Authentic Selves. And thank you to all the terrific photographers, and to everyone who was interviewed and photographed for this book, for creating a gorgeous visual gift, because sometimes words alone just aren’t enough. Visibility matters!

Foreword by Jazz and Jeanette Jennings

Preface by Brian K. Bond, Executive Director, PFLAG National

Introduction by Peggy Gillespie

A Note on Making Room for All of Who We Are by Alex Kapitan

Jack Pierson

Angelle Eve Castro and Family

Myles Kaleikini Markham

TAYLOR and SZN ALXNDR

Kylar William Broadus

Burwell/Burns/Alexander Family

Sarah McBride and Family

Jozeppi Angelo Morelli and Chris Mohn

Ava Berkofsky and Megan Auster-Rosen

Ben and Bedaura Haseen

Ben McLaughlin and Krysten Ella Lobisch

Fresh Lev White and Haia Sophia

Dee Dee Ngozi Chamblee

Rhett Bolen and Family

Feroza Syed and Family

Parker Glick and Ericka Miller

Anjali Rimi and Naga Gouri Devi

Elliott Bertrand and Family

Ted Rau and Family

Anna and Riley Lange

Robert Williams and Family

Lana Patel and Family

Thomas Family

Ashlee Page

Christian Zsilavetz and Family

Dalia and Terry Kinsey

Joy Ladin and Elizabeth Denlinger

Adam Miller and Family

Harris/McNeil Family

Scott Turner Schofield

Genny Beemyn

Tynan Power and Family

Blake Alford

Louis Mitchell and Family

Heatherland/Park/Landis/Heatherly Family

Resources

Sujets

• Loisirs
• Collections photographiques
• Transgender Studies
• LGBTQ+ Studies
• Personal Memoirs
• LGBTQ
• Social Science
• LGBTQ+
• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: Skinner House Books
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781558968974
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 20 Mo

Extrait

Praise for Authentic Selves

“Authentic Selves gives us a gift of truth so crucial in this time o f fear and violence. Readers are invited into stories of abundant possibility. The unapologetic truth is that trans and gender creative people live, love, become, and belong—and always have.” —Dr. Kia Darling-Hammond, co-editor ofT* is for Thriving: Blueprints for Affirming Trans* and Gender Creative Lives and Learning in Schools

“Peggy Gillespie continues her pioneering work, thi s time by offering a safe space for trans and nonbinary people and their families to discuss the joys and challenges of openly living their authentic lives. These inspiring accounts offer indisputable proof that love conquers all. The words and photographs found here have the potential to save l ives and make the world a safer place for everyone.” —Lesléa Newman, author ofHeather Has Two MommiesandSparkle Boy

“As a Black, genderqueer woman, I had no role models or positive representation of what it meant to be someone who identified outside of the binary. The narrative presented to us is one shrouded in misinformation and shame. For me, the lack of visibility for those who were just like me led to a long and arduous road to self-acceptance. I did not discover or accept that I could live outside the prescribed lines until my late forties. I wish I had a book likeAuthentic Selvesmy journey. The on beautiful images in this book are more than pictures; they represent freedom. The stories in this book are not merely words but medicine for our wounds created by a society that’s not yet ready to accept our truth. It’s critical that we see and learn abou t the full spectrum of our identities; it is just a s essential for the world to see.” —Stacey Stevenson, CEO of Family Equality

“It feels wildly ambitious to create a single resource that is able to provide the reader with a window into the rich, varied lives of gender-diverse people. YetAuthentic Selvesdoes just that by introducing us to everyday trans and nonbinary people and the family members who are brilliantly and lovingly on the journey with them.” —Aidan Key, founder of Trans Families and author ofTrans Children in Today’s Schools

“Authentic Selvesexquisite proof that transgender and nonbinary people don’t have to ask for is permission to participate in the creativity of our own survival. Here are our families. Here is our love. There’s no denying.” —Taylor Mac, theatre artist and author ofJoy and Pandemic, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, andA 24-Decade History of Popular Music, among others

“As the mom of two trans kids,Authentic Selvesbrought tears of recognition to my eyes. And as a professional in the national LGBTQ+ community and as an ordained pastor and director of a non- profit that supports LGBTQ+ individuals and those who love them, it brought me joy to know that this beautiful book will become a lifeline for the increasing number of faith leaders, educators, and families who will now have an expertly crafted volu me to guide and inspire with real stories from real lives.” —Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director of PARITY

“I’ve always believed in the power of stories to cr ack our hearts wide open with fierce love and empathy as we listen to the unique journeys of the people we encounter. Peggy Gillespie’s interviews open windows into the powerful stories of these ama zing trans and nonbinary people and their families. Their stories will bring tears to your eyes, widen your aperture of compassion, and make a knowing smile curl on your lips. Though each human is unique in their beauty, we are also so much alike in our yearnings to be seen, known, and loved.Authentic Selves will help create such spaces that begin in the mind and heart of each reader.” —Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, public theologian, author ofFierce Love, and Senior Minister of Middle Collegiate Church