Free to be Understanding kids & gender identity

Highly respected child and adolescent psychiatrist Turban's guide to understanding trans children and gender identity starts with an unforgettable scene: When he was 14 and knew he was gay, he heard his dad say, "If I ever knew someone was gay, I'd shoot them. Gay people don't deserve to live." Turban focused on school, heading to Harvard for neuroscience and then to Yale for medical school, becoming an expert on the mental health of transgender youth and founding director of the gender psychiatry program at UCSF. In this excellent, thoroughly researched primer, Turban draws on numerous interviews and patient interactions to illuminate conceptual and real-life medical and social aspects of gender identity, distilling his finding in portraits of three trans and gender diverse young people. He defines key terms (social transition is when someone uses a new name and new pronouns), explains procedures (gender-affirming hormones are estrogen and testosterone), and addresses many questions about gender, youth, and best practices. Every element is aimed at assuring readers that "[b]eing transgender is merely a healthy, normal part of human diversity."

Psychiatrist Turban debuts with a vital parenting guide for raising trans children. Writing for parents who may have little familiarity with trans terminology, Turban explains the basics of gender expression and the importance of using the right pronouns. A wealth of client stories addresses common questions and misconceptions. For instance, Turban pushes back against the fallacy that trans people are merely depressed by recounting how the poor mental health of one trans teen from a conservative Southern state was caused by her anxiety about coming out and improved substantially once she did. Delving into the science of gender affirming care, Turban explains how taking testosterone or estrogen changes the body and how puberty blockers fool the brain into ceasing the production of certain hormones. The numerous medical studies discussed make an airtight case for the benefits of such care (one paper found that taking puberty blockers while attending therapy improved trans teens' mental health significantly more than therapy alone). A bravura chapter forcefully debunks the premises of antitrans legislation, noting, for instance, a study that found "policies that force transgender youth to use the bathrooms of their sex assigned at birth were associated with dramatically elevated rates of sexual assault against transgender kids in schools." Thoroughly researched and buoyed by empathetic patient stories, this ranks among the best guides available for parents of trans children and teens. Agent: Todd Shuster, Aevitas Creative Management. (June)

A psychiatrist specializing in the mental health of transgender youth offers support, encouragement, and education. When he was 14, Turban, founding director of the gender psychiatry program at the University of California, San Francisco, witnessed his gun-toting father's vehement homophobia. As a gay youth, he dressed and behaved in a way that wouldn't expose his true nature. He has carried that experience with him throughout a career working with gender-diverse youth who don't "fit into the gender boxes people expected." The author discusses his visits to clinics designed to help transgender youth, speaking with unhoused young people rejected by their families, and how he integrated support models and protocol from Amsterdam into American clinics. Among many moving personal stories, Turban writes about a New England family and their child, whom they initially perceived was a "cisgender boy with feminine interests" but whose identity evolved into something more complex with the aid of puberty blockers and engaged, compassionate parenting. In other sections, the author pragmatically explores the terminology and real-world language of gender expression, radical enhancements in modern gender science, surgical interventions, and the push by some to identify a "transgender gene." Turban diligently follows an array of transgender youth whose personal journeys with gender-affirming counseling and medical interventions reflect the real-life struggles and challenges they continue to face in the U.S. Turban insists that societal stigma and divisive gender politics can be quelled with open-minded encouragement and, most importantly, consistent education. Due to his work at UCSF, the author views his subject through both clinical and compassionate lenses. His informative text provides essential encouragement and a proactive, supportive resource for transgender youth, their questioning peers, and anyone in marginalized populations who finds themself lacking support, uplifting stories, and peaceful interconnection. An insightful, important, and well-researched study on authentic gender expression. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.