Raising Kids beyond the Binary
Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender Diverse Children
Jamie Bruesehoff’s thoughtful book Raising Kids Beyond the Binary explores issues of gender identity from a personalized, Christian perspective.
With elements of a memoir, this is a clear guide to understanding gender identities written by a woman who has experience with raising a transgender child—her daughter Rebekah. It also draws from Bruesehoff’s advocacy work within the transgender rights space and her Christian faith, conveying a strong message of inclusion and acceptance of gender-diverse children while acknowledging the challenges that cisgender parents and caregivers may have in understanding such issues.
While the book speaks to Bruesehoff’s experiences, it is clear about its intent to not center Bruesehoff in the struggles that transgender people face. Its work is empathetic and delivers repeated reminders that gender-diverse people, like Bruesehoff’s daughter, are the ones who deserve the most support.
With detailed explanations of terminology related to gender, sex, biology, and sexual orientation, the book succeeds in providing a thorough account of what it means to be a gender-diverse person. And it makes a strong case for affirming the existence and rights of transgender individuals through the use of biblical texts and expertise from Christian advocates. The book, however, is not limited to Christian views, and broader insight into the experience of transgender people is included, with a strong focus on the work of Black transgender people.
A poignant view into raising gender-diverse children, Raising Kids Beyond the Binary is a powerful account of a mother’s love and advocacy for her daughter.
Reviewed by
Gail Hoffer-Loibl
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
