Artistic Expressions of Transgender Youth
There are plenty of books in existence about transgender youth. There are a lot of good people, trying to give good information, and for the most part they are. But you might be asking yourself what makes this book different than the others. This book is different because you will be educated directly by transgender children and teens. Not by a medical professional. Not by a life coach. Not even by me. This book will illustrate how transgender children and teens feel and think about themselves, as told through their art. Each drawing is accompanied by a statement where each child describes what their art means to them.
Buy Artistic Expressions of Transgender Youth:
Tony Ferraiolo
About Tony Ferraiolo
In 2008 Tony founded two youth groups: Translation, a support group for transgender teenagers, and Create Yourself, an art group for transgender and gender non conforming children under the age of twelve. He also assisted in forming TransPACT, a support group for parents of transgender and gender non-conforming children. The work he’s been doing with transgender youth and families has allowed him to witness a child go from hopelessness to hopefulness by simply affirming their gender. Tony watches families grow through the struggles they face when their child comes out as transgender.
Learn MoreWhat People Are Saying
What People Are Saying
It takes the heart and soul of an artist to see the pent up creativity in a young mind. Tony's creative, nurturing style offers a unique perspective into the profound ways we can all support NGC youth in their journey. Best of all it nurtures the reader along the way.
I wish every person would read this book. This book lets us take a step inside the mind of transgender and gender nonconforming children so that we can better understand what it feels like to not connect how we feel inside with how our body presents outside. It shows us how important it is to let our children be who they truly are inside and out. My hope is that people will read this book and realize the struggles children have of not feeling comfortable in their own skin. To take a look at those struggles they may not show on the outside, but deeply feel inside and to be open, accepting and supportive so that every child is comfortable enough to say, I am trans and I am awesome!
I keep a copy of this book in my waiting room where someone one is always reading it. But for me, a therapist working with transgender children and adults, the most important part is in Tony's preface. He writes that he gently corrects a youth who expresses they were born in the wrong body saying, ... they were born in their body and if they needed to change their body, we're going to help them through it.... This is a profound correction to the 'wrong body' view held by so many. It IS their body, and accepting, correcting, and as Tony says, creating themselves, is when
they can truly hope to be who they know themselves to be.
