Inside Out: Portraits of Cross-Gender Children

by Sarah Wong, Martin Cleaver (Translator)

Through Sarah Wong's beautiful, moving photographs and Ellen Visser's poignant writing, this book provides the first insight into what it really feels like to be born in the wrong body, both for cross gender children and their families. "Despite the unimaginable problem they have been faced with since a very young age, we see fun, confident, strong children, committed families and proud parents and grandparents who deal with the situation very openheartedly. Some are symbolically mounted atop a powerful horse while others shyly touch the breasts of a mannequin." Over the course of seven years, Sarah Wong and Ellen de Visser followed girls who feel they are boys, and vice versa. They were invited into homes, schools, hospitals and sporting events. These aren't gratuitous images, but portraits of their daily lives; proving that they are regular children that have managed to live the life they have always wanted. Occasionally, Sarah Wong uses the poetic metaphor of butterflies and caterpillars, who are also 'born twice'. The accompanying text tells each child's moving story.

Genres: Transgender

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kaje Harper]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05...

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The actual stories got repetitive after a while, but the photos are incredible. You get to see the children direct transition over time and it's inspiring and beautiful. Makes me hopeful for the future!!! This book could be really important for young people to see, so they can see themselves and their identities represented in print. Many children and young people who might feel this way might never have seen representations of what is possible, so I hope all libraries would order this book!!!