BEYOND MAGENTA

“SK: What causes a person to be transgender? 

MS: I think the question should be flipped around: What’s the cause for assuming that one’s gender identity has to be the one that you are born with? When I first came into this job, I was much more comfortable about people’s sexuality than I was with people’s gender identity. But when you hear the same stories over and over again, from people from all over the world, you start realizing that transgender is not an anomaly. It’s a part of the spectrum of people’s realities. Then you stop wondering about the cause and you start realizing it’s a part of reality.” 

GRADE LEVEL: 7-COLLEGE
AUTHOR: SUSAN KUKLIN 
GENRE: NON-FICTION

REVIEW: 
Beyond Magenta shares the true stories of six transgender and gender non-binary teens. Susan Kuklin's gives voice to the challenges, triumphs, and diverse stories that these teens take on their way to living their truth. Kuklin understand's that the most powerful voice to tell these stories are through the teens who are living them. Each chapter focuses on the unique individual journey of each teen. Pictures, interviews with loved ones and family, and words from the courageous teens themselves, encourage the reader to gain a deeper understanding and empathy for the young adults who are so courageously telling their stories.

Beyond Magenta is a book that can be used in the classroom either in its entirety or through the individual chapters. This multi-genre approach to storytelling is a wonderful way to expose students to the different ways to tell a story. What a great book to use as a model for their own multi-genre pieces while also teaching students about a subject that impacts their peers or even possibly the student. I can see some great cross-curricular opportunities with the art department with this one! At the end of the book you will find a nice glossary of terms that can be helpful to understanding some of the gender inclusive language and some of the harder to understand terms used. I also really enjoyed the resource section at the end of the book that some of the students who are LGBTQ might find useful.

CLASSROOM  TOOLBOX:

• As mentioned above: have students create their own multi-genre pieces that use art, interviews and self-reflections as modes of storytelling. Get with your art department to help you with ideas!
• Interview someone else and create a multi-genre piece or piece of photojournalism based on that person. 
• Research a person in history and tell their story using Beyond Magenta as a model. 
• Bring it to your GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club) It would be a great book to share with the group and possibly read together. 
• Put it in the teacher's room. It would be nice for teachers to gain a better understanding of some of the challenges facing their transgender and non-binary students. 

LINKS TO OTHER TOOLBOX IDEAS AND RESOURCES:

• Literacy Daily has some great ideas for how to use Beyond Magenta 
• Take a look at the author, Susan Kuklin's, site to get interviews and reviews. 
• Candlewick Press Discussion Guide for Beyond Magenta 
• Interview with the author
• Publisher Weekly's review with an interview with one of the six-teens that participated

FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOU OWN IDEAS AND CREATIVITY WITH US!

GEORGE

                                                                             
                                                                                             










  “Trying to be a boy is really hard, Mom” 
                                                                                   





GRADE LEVEL: 3-7
AUTHOR: Alex Gino
GENRE: FICTION

REVIEW 
George is a story of a young ten-year-old girl who wants to be know for who she really is, Melissa. Unfortunately most of her classmates and community members know her only as a a boy named George. When the teacher announces that the class will be performing,Charlotte's Web, Melissa(George) sees it as an opportunity to play Charlotte and to show the world who she really is. When the community is not supportive of Melissa's decision, she finds friendship and an ally in her classmate, Kelly. With Kelly's support Melissa emerges as her true-self.

Ultimately, this book is about more than the bravery of a transgender girl; it is about friendship, challenges, and living your truth. My son and I read it together, and I was so relieved that Alex Gino referred to the main character with the pronoun she throughout the book. I don't always see this in literature, especially when the character is right before, or in  the middle, of a social gender transition; but I think it allows the reader to follow Melissa's truth so much better. My son also has little tolerance for misgendering, and I feel he would have a hard time reading it, otherwise. We had wonderful conversations sparked by the events in the book and the the main character's journey. 

I can see this book being a hit as a classroom book in middle school. Will you get push back from the occasional feisty parent? It is very well possible, but we are teachers and we are used to the controversy of great literature. Just put this book on a list with many other books that has the potential to create positive change. The book already has been used in classrooms around the world, so you should find lots of ideas in the classroom toolbox. If you have used in it your classroom, I would love to hear more! 

CLASSROOM  TOOLBOX:

• Compare the themes in Charlotte's Web with those in George. There are some great comparison matrix out there.
• See if the author will come for a visit! I found this link from Scholastic that speaks in particular about Alex Gino's school presentations. How amazing would that be?!
•  If this is not an option, than maybe trying writing letter's to Alex that encourage students to use critical thinking questions. Check out the Letters About Literature contest for this age group. I have done this contest in the past with great results. 
• Use Storybird.com to have students write their own books with similar themes. Compare the books when you are done. 
• Use the discussion as an opportunity for talking about ways students can promote a safe classroom school environment. Maybe brainstorm what it means to be safe. Try getting your school guidance counselor involved with lessons. Some classrooms create a class constitution together. This maybe a great time to revisit the constitution to see if there are any other ideas to add. 
• It would probably be a good idea to visit classroom discussion expectations before speaking about transgender issues. I highly believe the more educated the teacher on the subject, the more positive and effective the conversation. Start by reading, The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals by Stephanie Brill.
• Create a book trailer using digital writing techniques. Highlight the themes in the book. 
• Have students write in they/them pronouns. When you create a prompt, make they/them an option and model this for them. 

LINKS TO OTHER TOOLBOX IDEAS 

• Interview with the Author! :There are lot of others on Youtube:) They are a great person to listen to about the themes and characters in the book. 
• Teacher Pay Teacher
• Discussion Guide and Extension Activities
• NY Times Review
• NPR Best Stories Article

FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOU OWN IDEAS AND CREATIVITY WITH US!

The Singular Pronouns They/Them and Why It's Important We Use Them

It is more uncomfortable for our students to be misgendered than it is for us to begin to use language we are not use to.

So I am going in a bit of a different direction for this post. There will be no particular piece of literature that I will refer to, but I wanted to cover the topic of they/them as a singular pronouns. I have noticed it is an area that educators, especially us English teachers, are getting hung-up on.You will find many articles and resources in the Classroom Toolbox that will help guide you through the topic.  

As a society we are programmed to see the world through a binary lens when it comes to gender. Even as we start to make progress toward a more accepting and educated society regarding transgender issues, many of us, even well-meaning educators, still have a hard time seeing gender as a fluid spectrum. I can't tell you how many teachers have said to me, "I can get behind the whole transgender issue, but I have such a hard time using the pronoun they as singular." Teachers can be the worst at this because when it comes to grammar, we feel we have to stick by the "rules". With a little research, we can come to understand that the "rules" have historically favored the singular pronoun they. Even if it didn't, we need to accept the idea that language changes as society changes. In fact, in the US, we don't have an official language committee that governs our language rules; it is often society that makes the rules as our culture and language needs change.

Why is it so important that educators become comfortable using the gender neutral pronouns they/them? Because it is more uncomfortable for our students to be misgendered than it is for us to begin to use language we are not use to. It is that simple. For a student who does not identify as either a female or male, it can be emotionally traumatizing when they are misgendered. We need to recognize and respect our students for who they are. The real change begins when we actually start using they/them as singular pronouns. Start practicing and it will begin to feel more like a part of your daily language.

CLASSROOM TOOLBOX:

• We all mess up! When you do: acknowledge it, apologize and mean it, and make an effort to continue trying your best.
• Start including they/them as singular pronouns when you create writing prompts. I often give my students the choice of his/her/they when I create a prompt that includes pronouns. 
• Get writing ourselves. Write using the pronouns they/them in your own writing. Try writing to the same writing prompts you give your students and chose they/them pronouns. Read the writing aloud to yourself. 
• Read articles and stories that use they/them pronouns. There is a great book that I hope to review on this blog, Beyond Magenta  that highlights the journeys of gender fluid youth. The chapter, "NAT: Something Else " is a wonderful story of a person who uses they/them pronouns. 
• Use the stories mentioned above as model material in your classroom. Don't shy away because of comfort. Students need us to use model text that is more inclusive and to normalize these pronouns for everyone.
• Here is a great article that gives tips on how to ask students their pronoun respectfully.

LINKS TO OTHER TOOLBOX IDEAS:
All Your Questions About Gender Neutral Pronouns Answered 
Tips for being an Ally that Respects Pronouns
Washington Post/They is the Word of 2015

The History and Future of They

Khan Academy(video)

TedTalks(Video): Who Votes for New Words, You Do! Great video on how language changes in our culture, especially in America.

How to use it with verb conjunction:

Rules and the Future of They

They Grammar Girl: video, examples, explanations