Overview

Gender is everywhere. Politicians argue over it, educational systems struggle to define it, and our friends, neighbors, and children explore it. More than ever before, young people are questioning their gender identities and redefining the role of gender in their lives. How should our society--and we as individuals (parents, teachers, friends)--respond? In Gender Explained, Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, and Michelle Jurkiewicz, PsyD, separate medical fact from fear-mongering falsehoods and answer these questions: What should parents do when their child starts experiencing gender dysphoria? Which sports teams should transgender youth play on? How should schools teach young people about gender? And most important: What is gender-affirming care, and when should an individual have access to it? With clear, expert guidance, this book is a safeguard against political vitriol, and it offers urgent protection for those among us who are transgender and/or nonbinary. Far more than an introduction to gender creativity, it is an invitation to develop compassion for everyone along the gender continuum.

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9781891011559

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Reviews

"The authors thoughtfully examine how and why gender has become a pressing concern for today's youth. . . . A thorough, evenhanded illumination of a contentious topic imbued with compassion and cleareyed data.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Gender Explained is the perfect antidote to the current state of widespread confusion about gender. Ehrensaft and Jurkiewicz's careful, thoughtful, and well-researched approach to the topic of gender cuts through a sea of misinformation. In this widely accessible book, the authors help us make sense of the complexity of gender. They also lay the groundwork for a clear path forward to understanding and celebrating gender in all its infinite forms.--Sabra L. Katz-Wise, PhD, associate professor at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health The continent's greatest clinical psychologist, Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, working in pediatric gender issues in an academic research setting, has added to her two previous groundbreaking books, now with colleague Michelle Jurkiewicz, PsyD. Gender Explained reveals how our thinking about gender has changed through the lens and voices of patients, parents, and those who care for gender creative children. In addition to their clinical expertise, Dr. Ehrensaft also draws on her participation in two NIH-funded longitudinal studies of transgender children and adolescents, in collaboration with three other major pediatric academic hospitals.--Norman Spack, MD, endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital"

"With courage and wisdom, this book does an amazing job at explaining gender diversity. It brings together empirical research, clinical experience as well as testimonies of children and their parents to answer complicated questions about child and identity development, best parenting approaches and how to understand today's shifting cultural landscape on gender and young people. A highly recommended read for families, clinicians, and anyone eager to better understand our complex world.--Jean Malpas, psychotherapist and founder of the Gender & Family Project at the Ackerman Institute for the Family The authors thoughtfully examine how and why gender has become a pressing concern for today's youth. . . . A thorough, evenhanded illumination of a contentious topic imbued with compassion and cleareyed data.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" A compelling new book rooted in the gender affirmative model, Gender Explained provides a nuanced perspective and effectively clarifies some deep misrepresentations of this model. It provides a wealth of information on the care of gender diverse young people.--Amy Tishelman, PhD, Boston College, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience At a time when there is a lot of divisive information and messages on this topic, Gender Explained unites us in supporting the health and well-being of all children. Dr. Ehrensaft and Dr. Jurkiewicz provide clear and compassionate information from decades of firsthand experience. This is the perfect book for parents, caregivers, and professionals who are supporting gender expansive children and youth.--Linda A. Hawkins, PhD, director of the Gender & Sexuality Development Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Empathetic and accessible, Gender Explained helped me see 'the other side' of the gender debate. It acknowledges the fear and concern that many people face and helps us expand our view of gender. I loved reading it.--Ximena Lopez, MD, pediatric endocrinologist In Gender Explained, Ehrensaft and Jurkiewicz have taken a hot button issue and eloquently turned down the heat. Their extensive experience working with youth, families, and professionals throughout the world provides them with the necessary background to examine this divisive topic with nuance and rationality. In doing so, they have generated a work upon which critically important conversations can be based at a time when the discourse has become decidedly hostile. A must-read for anyone interested in exploring the complex subject of gender.--Joel Baum, director of education at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital This is the book I wish I'd had when my own child told me, at age three, that she wasn't the gender I believed her to be. If you're scared and confused because your child is saying things about gender that you never expected to hear, this is the book for you. Gender Explained sets aside the politics, lays out the science, and offers practical, compassionate advice for supporting our children--and ourselves--on the gender adventure that awaits us.--Marlo Mack, author of How to Be a Girl Gender Explained is the perfect antidote to the current state of widespread confusion about gender. Ehrensaft and Jurkiewicz's careful, thoughtful, and well-researched approach to the topic of gender cuts through a sea of misinformation. In this widely accessible book, the authors help us make sense of the complexity of gender. They also lay the groundwork for a clear path forward to understanding and celebrating gender in all its infinite forms.--Sabra L. Katz-Wise, PhD, associate professor at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health The continent's greatest clinical psychologist, Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, working in pediatric gender issues in an academic research setting, has added to her two previous groundbreaking books, now with colleague Michelle Jurkiewicz, PsyD. Gender Explained reveals how our thinking about gender has changed through the lens and voices of patients, parents, and those who care for gender creative children. In addition to their clinical expertise, Dr. Ehrensaft also draws on her participation in two NIH-funded longitudinal studies of transgender children and adolescents, in collaboration with three other major pediatric academic hospitals.--Norman Spack, MD, endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital"

"The authors thoughtfully examine how and why gender has become a pressing concern for today's youth. . . . A thorough, evenhanded illumination of a contentious topic imbued with compassion and cleareyed data.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"""

Author Information

Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, is a developmental and clinical psychologist, the author of The Gender Creative Child and Gender Born, Gender Made, and coauthor, with Michelle Jurkiewicz, of Gender Explained. At the University of California, San Francisco, she is the cofounder and director of mental health at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center and a professor of pediatrics. She has been featured on the Los Angeles Times online and WIRED online and has appeared on Anderson Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and the Today Show. Michelle Jurkiewicz, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and gender specialist in private practice in Berkeley, California. She has been providing therapeutic services to children, youth, and families since 2003. Dr. Jurkiewicz was an early pioneer in the work with transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive youth. In addition to providing psychotherapy for people of all ages, she trains newer clinicians in using the Gender Affirmative Model.

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