‘American Teenager’: New book offers unprecedented access to trans teens and their families

In a clip erstwhile cisgender policymakers proceed to marque decisions that tin dramatically impact the lives of transgender teens, it tin sometimes beryllium hard to retrieve that the estimated 300,000 younker successful the U.S. who place arsenic trans are, supra all, inactive conscionable teenagers.

That’s precisely what award-winning writer Nico Lang acceptable retired to item successful their caller book, “American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Finding Joy successful a Turbulent Era.”

After penning astir the struggles facing young transgender radical for much than a decade, Lang felt it was clip to fto trans teens archer their ain stories — astir their struggles and victories, from the mundane to the marvelous — done their ain words.

Nico Lang’s caller book, “American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Finding Joy successful a Turbulent Era.”

Starting successful the autumn of 2022, Lang, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, embarked connected a astir year-long travel crossed the United States to papers the lives of transgender and nonbinary teens and their families.

For astir two-and-a-half weeks astatine a time, Lang assumed the relation of a impermanent subordinate of 7 families astir the state — successful states ranging from blimpish havens similar Alabama to the Democratic stronghold of California — wherever the writer bonded with their subjects, attended day parties, watched movies, went to Applebee’s and adjacent met their crushes.

“That’s truly the intent of this book,” Lang told the Daily News. “[For] you, arsenic the reader, to consciousness similar you cognize them similar they’re a idiosyncratic successful your life, similar portion of your family. And the extremity with that is that if you consciousness similar you cognize these kids truthful good that they’re similar idiosyncratic you’ve known their full life, you mightiness past ballot for their rights.”

Over the past fewer years, blimpish lawmakers crossed the U.S. person stepped up the onslaught connected the basal rights of transgender younker — from deciding what books they tin work to denying entree to medically indispensable attraction — arsenic portion of what the Human Rights Campaign describes arsenic a “coordinated propulsion led by nationalist anti-LGBTQ+ hatred groups” to restrict their freedoms.

Nico Lang attends the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards astatine New York Hilton connected May 13, 2023 successful New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for GLAAD)

Just this year, more than 650 anti-trans bills person been introduced successful legislatures crossed the nation, advocates say, making it the 5th consecutive record-breaking twelvemonth for the full fig of bills targeting the transgender community.

That’s due, successful part, to misconceptions astir transgender and nonbinary people, according to Lang.

“A batch of Americans inactive person each these questions astir trans people,” they told the News. “They don’t cognize trans radical and they get tripped up by this confusion, past they usage that disorder arsenic an excuse to ballot distant their basal protections.”

Lang hopes their book, which rapidly became an Amazon bestseller aft its merchandise connected Tuesday, tin assistance interruption the rhythm of misinformation.

Transgender rights activists stitchery during an International Women’s Day termination rights objection astatine the Texas State Capitol connected March 8, 2023 successful Austin, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Lang’s travel started successful Sioux Falls, a somewhat progressive metropolis located successful deep-red South Dakota, wherever 15-year-old Wyatt Williams — a precocious schoolhouse pupil with a stellar GPA but who’s decidedly not the champion dancer successful his ballet institution — recalled spending portion of his aboriginal teens “staying location feeling sick astir what [his] aboriginal mightiness be” arsenic anti-trans laws began to instrumentality implicit the nation.

Lang past traveled to Alabama, West Virginia and Texas, wherever they met a 19-year-old named Ruby Carnes, whose Episcopalian religion held a renaming ceremonial celebrating her “true aforesaid aft 18 years of hiding.” Lang followed Carnes arsenic she got acceptable to determination to California aft an enforcement bid signed by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott directed wellness officials to analyse gender-affirming attraction for transgender younker arsenic “child abuse.”

Veronica Villa holds a motion that reads “I emotion my trans kid” arsenic she participates successful the Stonewall Pride parade connected June 17, 2023 successful Wilton Manors, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Their travel besides took them to Illinois, wherever Lang spent clip with a Muslim teenager; Florida, wherever they met siblings Augie and Jack; and yet to Lang’s location authorities of California, wherever a young advocator for transgender rights “enjoyed the perks of her wide bubble, adjacent arsenic it appeared acceptable to burst.”

“I wanted kids to beryllium centered successful their ain stories. I wanted them to beryllium capable to pb the communicative connected their lives, to beryllium capable to archer america who they are done their ain words,” Lang said, adding that proceeding from their families was arsenic important to springiness readers a much “holistic view” of their lives.

“A batch of parents volition work this to consciousness a small little alone, due to the fact that [raising trans kids] tin beryllium lonely,” Lang said. “You don’t truly person a assemblage astir that, and you consciousness similar you’re doing this each connected your own. And that tin beryllium truly scary.”