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Gender Magic: Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy, & Step into Your Most Authentic Self
A first-of-its-kind practical guide to achieving gender freedom with joy, curiosity, and pleasure for transgender and non-binary individuals, gender explorers, and those who love them—perfect for readers of The Body is Not an Apology and Pleasure Activism .
Taking everything they know from more than a decade of working with the queer and trans community, their personal journey of gender exploration, and clinical best practices, licensed therapist, coach, and speaker Rae McDaniel created the Gender Freedom Model. A uniquely supportive narrative for gender exploration and transition grounded in queer joy, their nine-pillar model has helped thousands of transgender and nonbinary individuals explore gender through play, pleasure, and freedom. And now, it can help you too.
Whether you're transgender, non-binary, cisgender, or still exploring, this compassionate and practical guide will help you experience your gender in new, expansive ways by Brimming with warmth, celebration, and practical advice Gender Magic is essential reading for anyone who yearns to step into their fullest self and imagine a life beyond gender binaries. Because you—yes YOU—are magic.
"Rae McDaniel is a leader in their generation, matching compassion with clear-sighted vision for a sex-positive future.” – Emily Nagoski, Ph.D, author of Come As You Are and Burnout
Taking everything they know from more than a decade of working with the queer and trans community, their personal journey of gender exploration, and clinical best practices, licensed therapist, coach, and speaker Rae McDaniel created the Gender Freedom Model. A uniquely supportive narrative for gender exploration and transition grounded in queer joy, their nine-pillar model has helped thousands of transgender and nonbinary individuals explore gender through play, pleasure, and freedom. And now, it can help you too.
Whether you're transgender, non-binary, cisgender, or still exploring, this compassionate and practical guide will help you experience your gender in new, expansive ways by Brimming with warmth, celebration, and practical advice Gender Magic is essential reading for anyone who yearns to step into their fullest self and imagine a life beyond gender binaries. Because you—yes YOU—are magic.
"Rae McDaniel is a leader in their generation, matching compassion with clear-sighted vision for a sex-positive future.” – Emily Nagoski, Ph.D, author of Come As You Are and Burnout
304 pages, Hardcover
Published May 30, 2023
158 people are currently reading
2751 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
April 16, 2024
This is one of my favourite reads of the year. While the book is mainly for those who are exploring their gender identity, I think it's also a very informative read for friends, family, and allies. The amount of care and understanding poured into this book is extremely evident and it's a wonderful guide and resource for those who are curious, exploring, or learning about gender identity. It's a very thoughtful book with end-of-chapter prompts/questions to reflect on.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
May 31, 2023
Arc provided by Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review!
This book was incredibly useful in giving knowledge about gender identity no matter what your identity may be. I found Rae’s writing to be easy to follow, but not in an elementary way. The advice within it sat with me in a way that I will contemplate in the future.
Overall, this was an interesting read that I wasn’t expecting to sit with me the way it did since I don’t usually read non fiction. I would definitely recommend it for those looking to discover more about gender identity.
This book was incredibly useful in giving knowledge about gender identity no matter what your identity may be. I found Rae’s writing to be easy to follow, but not in an elementary way. The advice within it sat with me in a way that I will contemplate in the future.
Overall, this was an interesting read that I wasn’t expecting to sit with me the way it did since I don’t usually read non fiction. I would definitely recommend it for those looking to discover more about gender identity.
July 2, 2023
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I rated it 3 stars personally because I read it at the wrong time in my life. I’m living openly and confidently as a non-binary individual who hasn’t really thought about identity or sexuality in a while. If I read this book 2 years ago, it would have opened my brain to a lot of new ideas and concepts and made me think about gender more and speed up my process with identifying as non-binary. Luckily, I’m not a person that struggles with labels, words are just words to me. At a past point in my life, I was. I could have used this book more then. I felt like this was a read towards my past self, which was very pleasant. I thought about my past experiences with gender identity without the overwhelming consumption of gender identity, which I enjoyed very much. This was a quick, easy, read with cute little activities inside each chapter. I recommend for anyone struggling with gender identity and overall validation in their own skin.
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March 18, 2025i’ll be honest, when i picked this up i was hoping it would answer some questions i have about myself and about the world. and even though i feel like i walked away with more questions than answers…that’s kinda the point! this is a delightful work of intersectionality that really leans into reflection and positivity and JOY, and quite honestly, it was exactly what i needed. at times it’s elementary, at times it’s a “take what you can get from this” kind of book, but i think that comes with most self-help books. i loved the plethora of information here, how it manages to touch on so many identities without focusing on any of them too much. it’s so much more than a how-to guide on gender - more like how to explore queerness in yourself (or in others) and learn how to love people (and yourself) better through that. it’s not perfect, and i will likely dive into some other books to supplement it (yeah, i am realizing i have no fucking clue what gender means to me personally, but it’s fine) but i really think this is a handy little book that a lot of people would benefit from. it’s perfect for new queers or cis people who want to know more about transness or trans people who are trying to figure out how to build their most authentic life.
two takeaways:
1. i really value that even though there are many sections on sex and eroticism and pleasure…the author emphasized that it isn’t ALL about sex or physical touch and that aroace identities can still benefit from exploring pleasure in the ways that fulfill them. HUGE!
2. there’s a section at the end about intimacy and friendship and queering up these kinds of relationships, and it was one of the most wonderful things i’ve read all year. i’ve been exploring the idea of nonsexual queerness for a while now, and this really gave me a lot to think over - and a lot to celebrate!! i loved hearing about the different kinds of intimacy and rae’s idea that we can create our own mycelium map of kinship.
i recommend this to any and everybody!!! i still don’t know what gender is to me but hey, it’s a start!!!!
"When we put pleasure, eroticism, intimacy, and sensuality in a tiny box reserved for romantic and sexual relationships, we cut ourselves off from the beautiful world of platonic intimacy and the nourishment and connection it can provide."
two takeaways:
1. i really value that even though there are many sections on sex and eroticism and pleasure…the author emphasized that it isn’t ALL about sex or physical touch and that aroace identities can still benefit from exploring pleasure in the ways that fulfill them. HUGE!
2. there’s a section at the end about intimacy and friendship and queering up these kinds of relationships, and it was one of the most wonderful things i’ve read all year. i’ve been exploring the idea of nonsexual queerness for a while now, and this really gave me a lot to think over - and a lot to celebrate!! i loved hearing about the different kinds of intimacy and rae’s idea that we can create our own mycelium map of kinship.
i recommend this to any and everybody!!! i still don’t know what gender is to me but hey, it’s a start!!!!
"When we put pleasure, eroticism, intimacy, and sensuality in a tiny box reserved for romantic and sexual relationships, we cut ourselves off from the beautiful world of platonic intimacy and the nourishment and connection it can provide."
June 24, 2024
Thank you #partner @gcpbalance for my #gifted copy 💕
Gender Magic: Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy, & Step Into Your Most Authentic Self
Rae McDaniel, MEd, LCPC, CST (they/them)
Gender Magic is a comprehensive guide for folks exploring their gender identity. Using their "Gender Freedom Model", McDaniel's book focuses on queer joy through three sections: Play, Pleasure and Possibility. The book is very accessible, conversational, and personable, as McDaniel shares pieces of their life as both a trans/non-binary person, and an expert who has worked with trans and nonbinary folks for over a decade.
Whether you're trans, nonbinary, still exploring, or a cis ally, this affirming, compassionate guide is a must read!
📌 Available now!
Gender Magic: Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy, & Step Into Your Most Authentic Self
Rae McDaniel, MEd, LCPC, CST (they/them)
Gender Magic is a comprehensive guide for folks exploring their gender identity. Using their "Gender Freedom Model", McDaniel's book focuses on queer joy through three sections: Play, Pleasure and Possibility. The book is very accessible, conversational, and personable, as McDaniel shares pieces of their life as both a trans/non-binary person, and an expert who has worked with trans and nonbinary folks for over a decade.
Whether you're trans, nonbinary, still exploring, or a cis ally, this affirming, compassionate guide is a must read!
📌 Available now!
June 4, 2023
[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest & unbiased review.]
What I appreciated most about this book is that it is a gender book created for *everyone.* That’s not to say that it doesn’t prioritize trans and non-binary folks; it most certainly does, especially in the later chapters. However, unlike so much other gender-specific writing these days, there's not an undertone of trying to help cisgender folks understand trans folks here. Instead, McDaniel is trying to impart the wisdom that all gender is play.
As a non-binary individual who is only ever read as a “woman” by the outside world, I spent years trying to squash any expression of femininity for fear that it invalidated my identity. But overemphasizing masculinity didn’t feel right either (because it was reactionary rather than authentic). This realization finally came to me at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, when I noticed that the dysphoria I had been experiencing was not some innate hatred of my own body, but rather a response to how others perceived me; it was social dysphoria. Since then, I have been trying to reframe my own view on gender expression to be more authentic, experimental, and playful... but I hadn’t found much written on this concept until Gender Magic.
This book does a fantastic job of normalizing the fluidity of identity - along with the human experience in general. It asks why transgender individuals are held to the impossible expectations of never questioning their decisions or changing their minds. (A very common and natural experience in life that is allowable for everyone else.) It also decentralizes dysphoria to focus instead on gender EUPHORIA: figuring out what brings you joy in your gender expression. Working in the healthcare field, this is such a breath of fresh air and a necessary deviation from the idea that one simply must experience dysphoria to be transgender. McDaniel grants permission for folks to love the complexity of their trans identity rather than feeling pressured to pass or “blend” into society to be considered legitimate.
In later chapters, these same concepts of play and euphoria get applied to pleasure as well (including, but not limited to sexual pleasure). McDaniel’s exploration of eroticism was honestly what I had wanted when I read Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown earlier this year. The focus on pleasure as self care - along with the customization that is possible in life once you separate yourself from societal expectations - was lovely (especially the breakdown of intimacy types).
I think the only thing that fell flat for me was the constant reminders of “you are magic” and other similarly generic self-love statements. This is probably more about me and my personal hatred of affirmations than about the book itself, but I personally found these statements awkwardly forced onto the page and ultimately rather meaningless. Still, this is a very tiny critique of an otherwise outstanding book, and I’d very much recommend it for folks of all genders and identities. I only wish that more cisgender individuals would pick it up and take it to heart.
What I appreciated most about this book is that it is a gender book created for *everyone.* That’s not to say that it doesn’t prioritize trans and non-binary folks; it most certainly does, especially in the later chapters. However, unlike so much other gender-specific writing these days, there's not an undertone of trying to help cisgender folks understand trans folks here. Instead, McDaniel is trying to impart the wisdom that all gender is play.
As a non-binary individual who is only ever read as a “woman” by the outside world, I spent years trying to squash any expression of femininity for fear that it invalidated my identity. But overemphasizing masculinity didn’t feel right either (because it was reactionary rather than authentic). This realization finally came to me at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, when I noticed that the dysphoria I had been experiencing was not some innate hatred of my own body, but rather a response to how others perceived me; it was social dysphoria. Since then, I have been trying to reframe my own view on gender expression to be more authentic, experimental, and playful... but I hadn’t found much written on this concept until Gender Magic.
This book does a fantastic job of normalizing the fluidity of identity - along with the human experience in general. It asks why transgender individuals are held to the impossible expectations of never questioning their decisions or changing their minds. (A very common and natural experience in life that is allowable for everyone else.) It also decentralizes dysphoria to focus instead on gender EUPHORIA: figuring out what brings you joy in your gender expression. Working in the healthcare field, this is such a breath of fresh air and a necessary deviation from the idea that one simply must experience dysphoria to be transgender. McDaniel grants permission for folks to love the complexity of their trans identity rather than feeling pressured to pass or “blend” into society to be considered legitimate.
In later chapters, these same concepts of play and euphoria get applied to pleasure as well (including, but not limited to sexual pleasure). McDaniel’s exploration of eroticism was honestly what I had wanted when I read Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown earlier this year. The focus on pleasure as self care - along with the customization that is possible in life once you separate yourself from societal expectations - was lovely (especially the breakdown of intimacy types).
I think the only thing that fell flat for me was the constant reminders of “you are magic” and other similarly generic self-love statements. This is probably more about me and my personal hatred of affirmations than about the book itself, but I personally found these statements awkwardly forced onto the page and ultimately rather meaningless. Still, this is a very tiny critique of an otherwise outstanding book, and I’d very much recommend it for folks of all genders and identities. I only wish that more cisgender individuals would pick it up and take it to heart.
June 14, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley for this fantastic guide. I say guide because right now in this day and age individuals, don’t realize a book can actually be a guide to respecting others. The author tells you this book is a bad experience in the freedom to identify an express our gender in an intentional and genuine basis.. I appreciate that and respect how helpful this book can be for anyone. Grab your copy today and read it with an open mind..
February 8, 2024
I wish this book had existed when my partner came out to me because it was everything we needed and more.
When she came out to me in 2020, the two of us immediately went in search of books and other resources to help fill in the gaps. Isolated due to the pandemic, she had the perfect opportunity to explore her gender, but neither of us knew what that meant or what our future looked like. In particular, I was desperate to understand more about what it means to be transgender without bombarding her with questions. We both needed help navigating all the unknowns.
This book would have helped us so much. McDaniel separates the book into three different parts: one to focus on gender exploration, one to focus on pleasure and sex, and one to focus on the future and who you want to be.
Throughout the course of reading the book, I kept pausing to read out sections to whoever was around me. I loved McDaniel's focus on joy and the positives. So often, gender and sexuality books focus on suffering and pain, and while those can be prevalent in trans and non-binary people's lives, we frequently assume that's ALL trans and non-binary people experience. Obviously, trans people can experience joy and happiness too, and I love that McDaniel frequently comes back to this idea.
I think this is a great first self-help-style book for transgender and non-binary people. I can see it helping anyone who is questioning their gender or looking for a source of know-how on how to move through transition. Equally, I think it could help loved ones and support people of trans and non-binary people who are looking to understand the process.
When she came out to me in 2020, the two of us immediately went in search of books and other resources to help fill in the gaps. Isolated due to the pandemic, she had the perfect opportunity to explore her gender, but neither of us knew what that meant or what our future looked like. In particular, I was desperate to understand more about what it means to be transgender without bombarding her with questions. We both needed help navigating all the unknowns.
This book would have helped us so much. McDaniel separates the book into three different parts: one to focus on gender exploration, one to focus on pleasure and sex, and one to focus on the future and who you want to be.
Throughout the course of reading the book, I kept pausing to read out sections to whoever was around me. I loved McDaniel's focus on joy and the positives. So often, gender and sexuality books focus on suffering and pain, and while those can be prevalent in trans and non-binary people's lives, we frequently assume that's ALL trans and non-binary people experience. Obviously, trans people can experience joy and happiness too, and I love that McDaniel frequently comes back to this idea.
I think this is a great first self-help-style book for transgender and non-binary people. I can see it helping anyone who is questioning their gender or looking for a source of know-how on how to move through transition. Equally, I think it could help loved ones and support people of trans and non-binary people who are looking to understand the process.
May 30, 2023
4.5 rounded up. Admittedly I’m not well versed in the existing body of self-helpy literature, but I liked this one, that it started by clearly saying it was not going to ask anyone to “magical think” their way through real world hard stuff, and the end-of chapter prompts for active reflection were great. Also love all the resources in the endnotes and website listed.
ARC was provided by the publisher!
ARC was provided by the publisher!
September 4, 2023
Really accessible and easy to read. I took a lot away from this.
July 3, 2023
I can see the love and care this author put into this book and for their readers. This is mainly for those exploring their gender identity but it's also an interesting and informative read for those who are family, friends and allies. While an important book for the times, I also think everyone can come away with something to improve their life from this one, not just those questioning or exploring their gender identity. So informative, understanding, motivating and just plain caring. It's beautifully affirming no matter your GI.
When there is so much hate and fear towards a group of people, I think it's so important to balance that out with love and understanding. If you are struggling, this book is for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
When there is so much hate and fear towards a group of people, I think it's so important to balance that out with love and understanding. If you are struggling, this book is for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
June 25, 2023
I received this as an ARC read that arrived late because of my mail so I didn't get to start it right away. First thing off the bat is some language has already changed but the author already addressed that on the very beginning. Also like a lot of nonfiction books there are some dry spots that were little tough for me to get through. I also as a reader get annoyed when things sound really shelf help at times and this book has a few spots. Now onto the good things. As a person who will fight for someone else to live without shame and live their authentic self I have long periods of time where my own internal homophobia and transphobia prevent me from living my life the way I want. I have solidly been gender queer with my partner and at least one friend for at least the last ten years. This book has given me some tools and new ways of looking at myself that will help me express myself more openly. Those same tools will transfer to other parts of my life that I am thankful for as well. I am going to recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to handle their own identity. I also feel it is a good read for parents, siblings, and spouses as well as other family members to read if someone in their life is experiencing gender dysphoria.
September 14, 2023
Jade and I read Gender Magic chapter-by-chapter and discussed it over our weekly roommate brunches all summer. I'm truly sad to have finished this book because the experience of reading it in community has been life-changing for me -- not just in the way that I think about my gender but more so in the way I think about embracing my whole life.
This book is full of straight-up great life advice especially on dealing with overwhelming changes, scary dreams, and relationships of all kinds. It's also full of practical exercises, journal prompts, and lists which helped me process the material and integrate it effectively into my day-to-day. There are exercises I didn't have the emotional capacity to do at the time and will come back to later. I keep sharing passages of Gender Magic with other friends and my partner because it provides a relevant touch point to begin deeper conversations. Although our Gender Magic brunches are coming to a close, this book will stay with me and my friends for a long time. A genuinely magical book.
This book is full of straight-up great life advice especially on dealing with overwhelming changes, scary dreams, and relationships of all kinds. It's also full of practical exercises, journal prompts, and lists which helped me process the material and integrate it effectively into my day-to-day. There are exercises I didn't have the emotional capacity to do at the time and will come back to later. I keep sharing passages of Gender Magic with other friends and my partner because it provides a relevant touch point to begin deeper conversations. Although our Gender Magic brunches are coming to a close, this book will stay with me and my friends for a long time. A genuinely magical book.
July 3, 2024
This is a tremendously important book. I think the first half was stronger and perhaps a more unique contribution, but overall this is a practical, easy-to-read, and compassionate resource.
July 30, 2025
Gender Magic is a compassionate, playful, and deeply affirming exploration of identity, written with lived experience. It starts as a practical guide for those beginning their gender journey, but honestly, it offers so much more. I started reading the physical copy (thank you to the publisher for sending it my way!), but eventually switched to the audiobook. And I’m so glad I did. McDaniel narrates it themself and their voice adds an extra layer of warmth and kindness that really made the experience feel like a gentle conversation with a trusted friend.
It invited me to pause and reflect not only on gender but also on how I treat myself with curiosity and kindness in other areas of life; whether it’s navigating anxiety, building confidence, or embracing pleasure. It’s filled with thoughtful prompts and insights that feel grounding.
This is one of the most welcoming nonfiction reads I’ve ever picked up. Part guide, part encouragement, part joyful reminder that you are allowed to take up space exactly as you are. Whether you’re trans, nonbinary, cis, questioning, or just curious about what a more expansive view of gender might look like, I think there’s something here for everyone.
This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
It invited me to pause and reflect not only on gender but also on how I treat myself with curiosity and kindness in other areas of life; whether it’s navigating anxiety, building confidence, or embracing pleasure. It’s filled with thoughtful prompts and insights that feel grounding.
This is one of the most welcoming nonfiction reads I’ve ever picked up. Part guide, part encouragement, part joyful reminder that you are allowed to take up space exactly as you are. Whether you’re trans, nonbinary, cis, questioning, or just curious about what a more expansive view of gender might look like, I think there’s something here for everyone.
This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
May 30, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This book is great and ridiculously helpful on multiple levels whether your questioning your gender identity, questioning transitioning and what that looks like for you, or even if you are an ally looking for some understanding. This is a self-help book but it doesn't expect you to magically think your way through your problems. It helps you break them down and get to the bottom of your own understanding and then reproach the subject. It was an enjoyable and easy read and really even helped me start to figure out what my gender expression looks like and how to approach stressful situations. I will also say that I greatly appreciated the call out to those on the Asexual spectrum, myself being one, during the Pleasure section and how to take the lessons from that section and adapt them to a way that I could relate to and use. Thank you, Rae McDaniel!
This book is great and ridiculously helpful on multiple levels whether your questioning your gender identity, questioning transitioning and what that looks like for you, or even if you are an ally looking for some understanding. This is a self-help book but it doesn't expect you to magically think your way through your problems. It helps you break them down and get to the bottom of your own understanding and then reproach the subject. It was an enjoyable and easy read and really even helped me start to figure out what my gender expression looks like and how to approach stressful situations. I will also say that I greatly appreciated the call out to those on the Asexual spectrum, myself being one, during the Pleasure section and how to take the lessons from that section and adapt them to a way that I could relate to and use. Thank you, Rae McDaniel!
March 13, 2024
This book really helped me identify so many areas that I still want/need to grow as a person. I’m trans nonbinary, and have come out very incrementally for safety reasons surrounding my financial stability and where I live. This book felt validating in so many ways, and I feel like it also helped me address so much of my trauma and pain around growing up trying so hard to fit the box I was designated into at birth. I tried so hard to fit in…to be what everyone said I was supposed to be.
This book is helping me process the grief of not being accepted by the religious (conservative christian) environment I was raised in, and also finally start to let go of feeling like a defect or a disappointment. It’s okay to be me. I deserve joy, celebration, healing, peace, kindness, and love. I sense I will reread this book many times, and that its pages will be highlighted, dog-eared, and worn with love and many returns to its wisdom and kindness.
Everyone should read this book. 🩵
This book is helping me process the grief of not being accepted by the religious (conservative christian) environment I was raised in, and also finally start to let go of feeling like a defect or a disappointment. It’s okay to be me. I deserve joy, celebration, healing, peace, kindness, and love. I sense I will reread this book many times, and that its pages will be highlighted, dog-eared, and worn with love and many returns to its wisdom and kindness.
Everyone should read this book. 🩵
January 11, 2024
I learned a lot from this book, both more about the trans experience and about my own identity (as it relates to gender and more broadly). The two overarching messages of this book - “You are trans enough” and “You are magic” - weren’t particularly relevant or didn’t resonate with me personally. However, there were messages in this book that are important to any human being, and I do strongly believe that everyone would benefit from thinking deeply about their gender identity and expression, which would be aided by the helpful reflective questions Rae McDaniel includes in their book.
Also, any personal critiques of the book were largely mitigated by all the motorcycle references (um… comparing sex to riding a motorcycle? Yes!!)
Also, any personal critiques of the book were largely mitigated by all the motorcycle references (um… comparing sex to riding a motorcycle? Yes!!)
October 19, 2024
I ran the emotional gambit listening to this audiobook, from fear at confronting gender thoughts, to being stunned by science facts, to feeling empowered to love myself and have fun in the gender journey, to finally feeling teary eyed when the book was over with the author’s final parting affirmations.
Excellent for anyone trans/nonbinary that’s pre-transition, mid-transition, or just trying to figure themselves out. Also great for cis people supporting a trans loved one through their gender journey. Or honestly for anyone trying to feel more comfortable in their skin, trans or cis.
Amazing read. I’ve passed it along to multiple people already. The author is nonbinary like me and I wanna be their friend so badly.
Excellent for anyone trans/nonbinary that’s pre-transition, mid-transition, or just trying to figure themselves out. Also great for cis people supporting a trans loved one through their gender journey. Or honestly for anyone trying to feel more comfortable in their skin, trans or cis.
Amazing read. I’ve passed it along to multiple people already. The author is nonbinary like me and I wanna be their friend so badly.
July 13, 2025
I read this book to gain a deeper understanding of gender fluidity and how I can be a better ally for our friends in the trans and LGBTQIA+ communities. Gender Magic delivered everything I was looking for and more.
Written in a conversational style, Gender Magic is an accessible resource for thinking about gender in ways that are fresh, and meaningful. I would encourage anyone to read this book and expand their understanding of nonbinary folks and their journey.
And the various exercises and questions author McDaniel includes are relevant and useful for anyone who wants to live their best and most fully realized life.
Written in a conversational style, Gender Magic is an accessible resource for thinking about gender in ways that are fresh, and meaningful. I would encourage anyone to read this book and expand their understanding of nonbinary folks and their journey.
And the various exercises and questions author McDaniel includes are relevant and useful for anyone who wants to live their best and most fully realized life.
September 6, 2025
Could not recommend this book more- I learned so much and it’s something I think I will for sure be coming back to. While I feel more confused about what even IS gender than when I started the book, I think perhaps that is the point :) Rae McDaniel- thank you for this marvelous read and helping make a topic that can seem scary and overwhelming be accessible and exciting. Regardless of your gender identity or where you are on your gender journey, this book is such a wonderful space for learning, reflection, and feeling seen. I felt the magic, and I hope other people will read this and feel the magic too ✨🏳️⚧️
October 19, 2024
Grabbed this to read on my mini honeymoon. It spoke to my journey in my life and my goal of truly believing in myself and *my* magic, from within.
Rae does a great job narrating a very complex subject into understandable parts. For someone who is non-binary, I appreciate breaking down a gender journey into small goals and steps to feel joy and ease in existing exactly as you are. I will need more and more reminders and permission AND I am grateful for journal prompts and exercises that can give me actual tasks to work on as I navigate this complex life journey in a trans NB existence.
I’ve been waiting for a book like this. I invite anyone to read it, whether you are on your own journey of gender exploration or not.
Rae does a great job narrating a very complex subject into understandable parts. For someone who is non-binary, I appreciate breaking down a gender journey into small goals and steps to feel joy and ease in existing exactly as you are. I will need more and more reminders and permission AND I am grateful for journal prompts and exercises that can give me actual tasks to work on as I navigate this complex life journey in a trans NB existence.
I’ve been waiting for a book like this. I invite anyone to read it, whether you are on your own journey of gender exploration or not.
November 23, 2025
I loved reading every page of it. Rae has a way to uplift the reader, to speak directly to our hearts, soothe our souls and quiet the brain trash of our minds. Thank you for writing this book!
A line that fully touched me from the book is this: "Nonbinary folks, like me, often get shoved into one box or the other, ironically expected to "prove" our non-binaryness by conforming to some preconceived notion of what our identities mean for how we want to have sex and experience pleasure."
A line that fully touched me from the book is this: "Nonbinary folks, like me, often get shoved into one box or the other, ironically expected to "prove" our non-binaryness by conforming to some preconceived notion of what our identities mean for how we want to have sex and experience pleasure."
July 17, 2024
This book is so insightful. I love the way the author spoke about trauma and offered accessible coping skills. Very well written and made my cis-gendered soul feel validated and allowed me to see the struggle of those trying to confirm their gender. Read it. I dare you.
November 23, 2025
Rae McDaniel reaffirms everything someone who is struggling with their gender and queer identity needs to believe about themself. We deserve space. We deserve people who treat us with respect. We are hot and we are magic.
April 4, 2025
A compassionate and approachable book full of good wisdom and practical advice. Minus a half star for being repetitive in places but would recommend!
October 27, 2025
Jak ktoś mi przedstawia poliamorię jako zajebisty sposób na życie to wiem, że to książka nie dla mnie. Sounds like a living hell.
June 9, 2023
Received as a Goodreads giveaway!
The book was very good and covered multiple topics ranging from cultural beliefs (ones that tend to frown on LGBTQT) to gender transition. The book does contain terms and phrases that those who are wanting to learn about LGBTQT may get lost in and I would recommend a glossary of some sort. All in all, it's a good book and definitely worth reading. It will be a helpful read in my line of work, working with youth in a detention facility.
The book was very good and covered multiple topics ranging from cultural beliefs (ones that tend to frown on LGBTQT) to gender transition. The book does contain terms and phrases that those who are wanting to learn about LGBTQT may get lost in and I would recommend a glossary of some sort. All in all, it's a good book and definitely worth reading. It will be a helpful read in my line of work, working with youth in a detention facility.
August 1, 2023
Beautiful read for anyone exploring their Gender as well as their place in the larger Queer spectrums. Practical tips from a seasoned therapist, but also the perspective of lived experience that resonated for me on a lot of levels.
November 18, 2024
As a cis woman, I am not the target audience of this book. However, I have two adult non-binary kids who I love and support whole-heartedly. I read this book to learn more about gender stuff, and I’m glad I did!
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