There’s a scene in the television series Transparent when Davina looks through a
set of old photographs. What was once a picture of Davina as a schoolboy has
been photo shopped into a photo of her as a schoolgirl. The scene is touching
as we realize she finally has a concrete image of what she has always pictured
herself to be.
The title character in George
by Alex Gino also thinks of himself as a girl. She secretly pores over teen
girl magazines, dreams of wearing make-up, and longs to play Charlotte in their
class production of Charlotte’s Web. Although she doesn’t get the part, she and her
best friend Kelly devise a scheme for George to play the role so she can finally
show her mother and the world her true self.
This book hopefully will inspire empathy in its young
readers towards people who long to fit into society yet remain true to
themselves. Sadly this book may be overly optimistic in its cast of supportive
characters. Everyone from George’s best friend Kelly to her older brother to
the school principal embraces her unquestioningly. I suspect most transgender
kids aren’t so lucky.
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